Chapter 369

Arifureta After IV Demon King & Hero Arc This Damn Masochist Hero-

AN: I posted a Christmas special chapter “Gather, Santa Claus Four!” at Wednesday.

For those of you who haven’t read it, it’s a chaotic story but please read it first.

『Can you hear me? ……You can hear me right? ……You……can’t hear me?』

To think that the mastermind of the summoning, the “lord of paradise” would contact them with such line from a famous series. Hajime and Kouki had never even dreamed for such thing to happen and stayed silent with twitching expressions.

And so, the “lord of paradise” was getting a bit uneasy because of the nonexistent response.

『R-right now, I’m talking directly into your――』

「――This guy! Don’t you dare say anything about directly into our brain or anything!」

「Nagumo. He already said it.」

Hajime made a tsukkomi resolutely. The reply also made the “lord of paradise” to seem relieved because there was a response that came back even if it was in the form of such tsukkomi.

『A mixed force of security soldier, air soldier, heavy soldier, air cavalry is marching here. I’ll prepare a hideout for you two so please leave immediately.』

Hajime frowned while Kouki also made a complicated expression. The two of them looked at each other. Jasper and others rushed into the room at that timing.

「S-so you two can hear the voice too just as I thought……」

There was a horrible bewilderment in Jasper’s face. Mindy and the children were looking around anxiously. It seemed that this voice that was resounding directly into the brain was also reaching everyone here.

But, even that bewilderment immediately turned into anger and wariness.

「How dare you show yourself again! You tricked us!」

『……I won’t deny that. I can’t apologize enough to you. I’ll also explain everything later. But, right now I beg all of you to please follow my instruction so that no more life will be lost-』

The voice sounded earnest and desperate. The voice didn’t deny that it had tricked Jasper and his group with regret oozing from it. Hajime and Kouki who had went through a lot of experiences could feel that it was the true feeling of the “lord of paradise”.

Jasper seemed to feel the same too. His mouth kept opening and closing, but he was unable to say anything further.

The “lord of paradise” was about to argue further. But Hajime interrupted him.

「There’s no time. Lord of paradise, just tell me this. Is it only me and Amanogawa who are targeted by the enemies?」

『No. Jasper too. His image was recorded at the battle underground. The information has already reached mother’s hand. There’s no doubt that they will search Jasper’s residence.』

「Is there no doubt about that?」

『I was able to find you two was also the result of hacking the force that was dispatched to here.』

「I see……as I thought.」

Hajime narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze glanced at Kouki for an instant, but he didn’t say anything to Kouki who was making a doubting expression. Hajime talked to Jasper and the others.

「This is where we part. I and Amanogawa will go right away.」

『Please wait! First come to the hideout! I’ll also talk about the reason I summoned you two warriors from foreign world!』

「Not interested.」

The “lord of paradise” turned speechless with how easily Hajime refused. Hajime declared with a cold voice and gaze to the speechless lord.

「I don’t want to get dragged into even more trouble than this. Rather than that, if you have any intention to apologize, then you should concentrate on protecting Jasper and his family instead from here on.」

『Naturally I will do everything I can about that but――』

「Wait a second! Why do you include Mindy and the children too!? I’m the one who violated the taboo! I only have a few months more to live anyway so I just need to surrender! Mindy and others aren’t involved with this!」

If they all escaped, that would become the proof that Mindy and the children had also done something to feel guilty about. Jasper felt that he himself should be the one to settle this. That was certainly a natural decision.

However,

「That excuse won’t fly anymore after your face got exposed. Do you seriously think these guys will be let off without even getting questioned about us and about what you and the lord of paradise had done?」

No one would believe it even if Jasper claimed that the people who had lived all this time with someone who had violated the taboo didn’t know anything. Surely they would receive a harsh interrogation, and at the end they would also be held responsible――to be blunt there was a high chance they would be used as an example.

At the very least Hajime was convinced of that based on the information he had heard until now.

Jasper and others were also able to imagine the worst situation from Hajime’s tone and atmosphere. They discarded their optimistic view to cling on mother’s compassion and their face twisted in grief.

Jasper fell on his knees. He had dragged his family into this since the moment he got tempted by the words of the “lord of paradise”. He might be able to keep living like this if only his face didn’t get found out, but that was just a hindsight. His body was trembling with regret from how shallow he was.

「I’m sorry, I’m sorry Mindy! Pipsqueaks-, I’m sorry-」

「Nii-san……」

Seeing Jasper’s complexion that looked like he wanted to die even now, Mindy and the children snuggled up on him with exasperated expression even while they were still looking pale.

The heavy atmosphere was blown away by Hajime’s loud rebuke.

「You have no time for crying. Struggle! If you want to live, if you wish to keep living, then continue to struggle, struggle, and struggle till the very last moment!」

The great anger in his voice caused Jasper, Mindy, and even the children to jump and lifted up their face.

「There is no time. Choose. Will you give up and die. Or will you survive till you die.」

Jasper and Mindy unconsciously turned their gaze toward the children after hearing those words that resounded heavily in the bottom of their heart. They repeated the words inside their heart, would they give up and let these children died, or would they protect them till they died?

There, a soft but very strong voice talked to them.

「……It’ll be fine. We will become a good bait.」

It was Kouki. He was putting on a fearless smile that looked awkward, as though he was forcefully moving his facial muscles with a face that might be paler and more distressed than even their own.

「Lord of paradise, you should first shelter them. You’re the one who got them involved. You made use of Jasper’s feeling that want to protect his family. We have nothing to listen from you as long as you don’t fulfill that responsibility.」

「Amanagowa, you idiot. You’re talking like we have any obligation to listen to him.」

Hajime made a tsukkomi at Kouki while sticking his few remaining explosives that he took out from his tactical vest on the house’s pillars.

『Understood. I shall guide Jasper and his family to a safe place for the time being.』

「Yeah, you do that. If by any chance you betray this guy again――」

『If I betray him?』

「I’ll kill any random humans I find indiscriminately.」

『!? W-why――』

「As expected, you’ll hate if I do that? Because of your circumstance?」

『Tsu, how far have you guessed――』

「Questioning time is over.」

The shocked “lord of paradise” swallowed back his word after Hajime’s order. And then Jasper and Mindy carried the little children who were still unable to run fast including Listy with a resolute expression.

「Amanogawa, cut the wall.」

「Roger.」

Kouki’s holy sword easily cut apart the living room’s wall and the next wall after it that connected to the next house. It was for Jasper and others to out from there.

「See ya, Jasper. I’ll pray for your fortune.」

「Y-yeah, you guys too……I’ll pray that you guys can return back to your family.」

Their parting words were just that. They didn’t even look at each other.

Listy who was carried by Mindy reached out at Hajime looking like she wanted to say something, but Mindy softly wrapped that hand with her hand and pulled it back. Hajime showed no sign of turning around even when he felt Listy’s gaze.

『……Now, go to the back from the house next door. Then head to northwest from there. I’ll guide you all through a route where the machine soldiers won’t find you, so please move silently.』

Jasper vanished to the other side of the wall to lead the children. The children also got out in a hurry. Mindy quietly bowed to Hajime and Kouki before getting out last.

The inside of the room became quiet. However, the noises outside were gradually getting louder. The machine soldier force must be getting closer. It was clear that the residents of the underworld were in chaos because of the scale of the machine soldier force that usually wouldn’t appear in the town.

「Etemp, Netemp. Lay out some strings that will act as heat source.」

「「Iii……」」

Etemp & Netemp-san replied without their usual cheers. They were staring at the hole that connected to the neighboring house. Perhaps they were worrying about the fate of Jasper and the others, especially the children.

Certainly, even if they were able to arrive at a safe hideout, would they live forever in the hideout after that……their future wouldn’t be bright with innumerable uncertain factors like that.

「Hey, Nagumo.」

「Shut up. We need to take action now. Let’s go.」

「……You’re right.」

Kouki took a deep breath as though to swallow something large and heavy and nodded.

The two of them brazenly went out from the front. Quite the number of people were coming out and turning their gaze uneasily toward the direction of the approaching noises. And then, the people who were right nearby saw Hajime and Kouki’s attire and looked astonished because they were obviously not people of the underworld.

Right after that, *GOOOOOOO* a sound resounded from the sky.

「We got to make the battle’s opening flashy.」

At the sky, the sight of that flying machine soldier――air cavalry flying this way entered their eyes.

The single eye moving along the cross shaped line in its head stopped still at the center when it caught sight of Hajime and Kouki from afar.

And then, it accelerated drastically before doing an extreme braking above the two. The braking action was so extreme it was like it was picking up a fight with the law of inertia. That movement was impossible for an aircraft that was boarded by human. It was hovering in the sky and pointed the gun muzzle in its hands toward Hajime and Kouki――

『Target discovered. Immediately remove your weapons――』

「Hah. In your dream.」

Quick draw. The explosive bullet that would pulverize normal human’s wrist with its recoil was fired with a thunderous boom.

The process from aiming to firing couldn’t be followed with how fast it was. The bullet’s speed that was impossible for the existing revolver and bullet didn’t give any time for the air cavalry to dodge. It magnificently hit its head. That head exploded grandly in an instant.

――Special bullet Burst Bullet

Originally its characteristic quality was to pulverize its target with magic power shockwave, but even without that, the other world gunpowder that was ultra-condensed and packed into the bullet and the toughness of the bullet head that was scattered by its explosive power was atrocious.

It was truly,

「That’s one dirty firework.」

It was worthy for opening the battle. The air cavalry exploded into pieces that scattered down everywhere along with a thunderous roar that shook the bottom of the stomach. Electrical discharge and flame blast colored the sky.

The citizens were watching dumbfounded.

The machine soldier that protected mankind was blown up. Helplessly, with just one attack.

Naturally, their gazes turned toward the criminal――the atrocious villain who did something incomprehensible that pulverized mankind’s protector.

「AAa?」

「「「「「HIIIIIIH!?」」」」」

A chorus of scream resounded. Voices like 「M-monsterrrrrr」「You see that, that terrifying face! He isn’t human!」「Don’t tell me, a new type of invader!?」「Runnnn, you’ll get killeddddd!!」「Mommyyyyyyy!」「Please at least spare just this childdd!」「Oo, Mother, please save us! Destroy that evil!」 were breaking out here and there one after another.

It was truly a pandemonium. It was as though they had witnessed the demon king descended.

「Yosh」

「Yeah, you’re really the demon king Nagumo. You can still looked satisfied like that even in this situation.」

Kouki’s exasperated gaze was just like a passing breeze for Hajime. He turned his back toward Kouki as though to say they were getting the hell out of dodge right away. He dashed through the street swiftly.

Kouki scratched his cheek while following behind. The people on their way screamed 「They come-, they’re coming over here!」「Run! It’s humanoid invadeeers!」 while running everywhere in panic. Kouki said 「I had just resolved myself not too long ago to be a hero though」 with a conflicted expression. Even so he jumped just like Hajime who was in front of him to the building’s rooftop and kept advancing toward the sacred mountain. The chaos below was getting even greater seeing that inhuman jumping power.

In the town of underworld’s lowest stratum, the building’s height was getting higher the closer it was to the center that was the sacred mountain Coltran. Hajime landed on the rooftop of a building that was relatively a bit high. He turned his gaze toward Jasper’s residence that they had just left behind. He seemed to be watching with the telescope function of his magic stone eye.

「Amanogawa. Cut down the approaching enemies. They’re behind.」

「I know!」

Kouki turned around and drew out his sword into a slash at the same time. Behind there was a machine soldier that had sneaked up on them before they knew it. It’s upper half that had both its hands raised in banzai gesture slipped down diagonally.

Unlike the machine soldiers until now, this was another new type. Its design that only consisted of skeleton had no change, but its legs were more complex and thicker in its making than the first machine soldiers they encountered. There were also blades attached on both its hands. The blades were shining like the ligh○ saber that came out in a certain space war movie.

Most likely this was a machine soldier that was specialized in close quarter combat. From the way it fought, it could be seen that it was a machine soldier that rushed forward. Perhaps it should be called assault soldier. It seemed its high-spec legs excelled in jumping and mobility. Dozens of assault soldiers were rapidly approaching by hopping through the street below or from the surrounding buildings like ninja.

Kouki were cutting them down with sword slashes that left behind speed of sound in the dust.

「Nagumo, Jasper and others……are alright aren’t they?」

「Who knows. That will depend on the lord of paradise.」

Those were terribly uncaring words. However, Kouki didn’t really get enraged and continued speaking while dealing with the attacking assault soldiers indifferently. It was like he was persuading himself rather than talking with Hajime.

「I, don’t think that lord of paradise is that bad of a person.」

「……」

「He seriously think that it’s wrong for him to trick Jasper and his group. I got the impression that he wants to help Jasper and others as much as he can. Surely he has some kind of complicated circumstance.」

「……」

「That’s why, surely Jasper and his family will be protected in a safe place. But, after that……how will they live from now on. Even though this is the only place where mankind can live. Even though they can only get food and water from the distribution.」

A formation of cavalry soldiers arrived from air. Hajime moved to take care of them also with indifference. He sniped with Donner in his right hand, then he predicted their evasion route and fired with Schlag at their future position. The live bullets that were fired at him from long range were dodged with just a slight tilting of his body while he fired counterattack.

「Are you saying that we should take them with us?」

Hajime asked with a cold voice. Kouki shook his head.

「That’s impossible. The current me, no, the current us can’t possibly head to the mountain top while carrying a dozen non-combatant with us.」

「Then what do you want to say?」

Even he himself didn’t know. He couldn’t say something irresponsible like he would protect Jasper after seeing the reality. His strength and the situation wouldn’t allow that. He understood that.

Jasper and his family became wanted people from the start was just him reaping what he sowed. They didn’t ask them for help, and Hajime and Kouki were also having their hands full to take care of themselves.

He understood. It was only logical for both sides to part here. He understood that it was the better decision.

However, Kouki’s heart, his heart that had decided after utterly writhing in conflict at that desert country was pleading at him 「Is it really alright like this?」. It was accompanied with a pain that was like a sharp needle stabbing his heart.

Shouldn’t they listen to the lord of paradise’s reason at least?

Shouldn’t they accompany Jasper and others to confirm that they would be sheltered in a safe place at least?

Wasn’t there something, something else, something that he could do to brush away the dark cloud that was hanging over Jasper and the children even if just for a little?

The reality and his desire fought each other. His chest felt tight as though it was pressed down by a great weight――

「Aah, annoying. This damn masochist hero!」

「W-what’s with you so suddenly! I told you I’m not Tio-san!」

「Don’t make fun of Tio. She is just as beyond saving like you, but she doesn’t have shitty and troublesome personality like you! Rather that woman’s masochism is more refreshing!」

「Guh, that’s……I can’t deny that but……」

Kouki gritted his teeth while dodging the simultaneous attack of assault soldiers from left and right by bending backward like doing limbo dance. Without pausing he rotated swinging his holy sword in a circle to mow down the enemies’ legs altogether.

The first machine soldier that came up from the stairs inside the building――most likely it was a guard soldier that had a role to keep security――got hit with normal bullet the moment its head peeked out. That was happening while Hajime did that head shot while speaking in irritation.

「Since when our relationship become one where I have to listen to your complaint? Don’t just depend on me.」

「……You’re right. My bad.」

Certainly it was exactly as Hajime said. The demon king and the hero were incompatible with each other. He couldn’t accept Hajime’s thought and belief. Or perhaps it was because he wondered in envy how could this guy live like this.

Kouki shook his head as though to shake off something from himself. Hajime glanced at him and dealt with the guard soldiers and air cavalry while checking Jasper’s house. He confirmed that a force of guard soldiers had stormed into the house and pushed the switch of the device that he took out from his tactical vest.

In that instant, the explosives that he put on the house’s pillars exploded. The heat from the strings that Etemp & Netemp laid out――it seemed to succeed in making the machines mistook them as humans. Quite a number of machines stormed into the house, so that explosion just now managed to destroy dozens of the machine soldiers.

「Well, I don’t think they’ll think that Jasper and others has really died from that but……it should buy them some time at least.」

Kouki’s eyes widened slightly hearing Hajime’s muttering. Coupled with his harsh words just now, it made him smiled wryly.

That’s right, didn’t he say it himself? That they would become a good bait.

That was why Hajime started the battle in a flashy way like that. He made the town fell into pandemonium and intentionally ran on the rooftop where they would stand out. He even stayed in one spot even though there was a risk they would get surrounded and exploded the house.

Hajime was doing “the best he could do” while kept holding on his own conviction. So that Jasper and others could arrive to the safe place with the least danger possible. Even though it was in his nature to worry like this, it was disappointing that he wasn’t even doing “the best he could do”.

That was why,

「Nagumo. If we can secure electricity and still have some leeway at that point, I want to go and pick them up.」

「……If we have leeway?」

「Yes, if we have leeway.」

He couldn’t make any promise to Jasper and others. He also couldn’t take them with him to the top of the mountain. He couldn’t irresponsibly give them any fleeting hope. However, he too wanted to do the best that he could do. He wouldn’t rampage following his emotion, but he wanted to at least persist with his conviction even if he had to be reckless.

Paying the price after violating the taboo was Jasper’s just dessert. That was certainly true. However, he needed no reason to give his all in order to improve the children’s future even if only slightly. Because he had the strength to act rashly if it was for the sake of someone else.

「The special derivation of Limit Break, “War Ogre”. No matter how much my body break, it will create gypsum of magic power inside my body so I can fight until I die. I have learned that skill. Nagumo, you can just open the door. I’ll cut open the path.」

「It’s strange. I’ve the feeling that my definition of “leeway” and yours is different.」

「Is that so? Isn’t it the difference between us and the world we live in?」

Hajime didn’t look amused by Kouki who said something that was strangely difficult to deny. The priority inside himself hadn’t changed, his first priority till the end was going home.

……Yes, if it was just the matter of going home, he could also do it after making a thorough preparation.

Was the priority the unrelated person who they only had met today, or the precious people who were waiting for their return?

In the end, it could be said that the problem was only that. And that was exactly the decisive difference between the demon king and the hero.

But naturally he didn’t mention anything about that. The hero had made his choice that was only barely within Hajime’s tolerance limit after seeing the reality. If he carelessly gave him more information than this, the hero would try to be even more heroic, which was something unbearable for him. Even after this hero had learned how to keep calm, in the end he was unable to change his true nature. No, he had reached the answer that he couldn’t change, which made this hero even more troublesome.

「We need to depart soon. The number of enemies are increasing. We have made enough ruckus to gather their attention.」

「I guess……Jasper……please stay safe.」

Kouki muttered in prayer while cutting apart another steel soldier. Hajime was also firing wires with anchor attached from his hands and feet to climb the outer wall while shooting down the guard and turning toward the sacred mountain――

A voice resounded once more in that moment.

『Warriors of foreign world, please help-』

「Aa?」

「Eh?」

The panicked voice belonged to the “lord of paradise”. The two stopped moving unconsciously even while dealing with the machine soldiers that approached from every direction.

『My transmission was detected! This is impossible-, they managed to read the code that has been completely disposed from 200 years ago-……the machine soldiers are heading this way! Please! At this rate Jasper and everyone will-』

Hajime and Kouki exploded into motion toward exactly the same direction at the same time. The telescope function of magic eye and the sunglasses that was worn again caught the sight of the slightly opened spot five hundred meters ahead through the tiny gaps of the buildings.

Over there Jasper and others were cornered into a tight group onto a wall at an open space after getting driven out from the back alley. But for some reason there were several machine soldiers that turned on their allies and protected Jasper and others.

But that too was only for a moment. The guard soldiers with dull movement immediately got bisected by the assault soldiers. Furthermore one shot that was fired by a guard soldier flew toward Mindy who was carrying Listy……

Jasper pushed those two and covered them with his body. His stomach was shot and he fell.

Even from afar it was clear how Mindy and the children were screaming and crying. They were clinging on Jasper. Amidst that, Listy was the only one who stepped forward with both her hands spread out to protect Mindy and the others.

In front of that small but brave Listy, an assault soldier approached emotionlessly and raised its heat blade to bisect all of them together――

「Nagu――」

Kouki’s words toward that called Nagumo were enveloped in impatience. But he didn’t manage to finish saying it until the end.

Because he didn’t make it in time? Because it was meaningless? No.

Because it wasn’t necessary. Without even needing any prompting,

「oOOOOOOOOOOOO!!」

Crimson sparks burst out along with a loud scream. Hajime unusually raised Donner with both hands and pulled the trigger in an instant.

It couldn’t compare at all with all the shooting until now. This was the regular technique that should be called as the signature move of the demon king, the sure kill magic bullet――Railgun. For the electromagnetically accelerated bullet, the distance of 500 meter was just a stone’s throw away.

The flash that could be mistaken as a crimson spear advanced as though it pierced through the space itself. Its target――the assault soldier that was going to swing down its blade anytime now was shot precisely in the head. No, its whole body was sent flying.

The assault soldier lost its head along with its raised arm like a joke. Its other arm’s heat blade silently lost its shine. It looked as though it had lost the radiance of its life.

And then, the machine soldier tilted to the side and fell. In front of it silence arrived as though the time of the world had been stopped.

The residents were scared silly by the crimson flash that cut through the sky. The machine soldiers that attacked Hajime raised their guard after seeing the abnormal phenomenon of a human releasing sparks and firing railgun through a handgun. In addition the machine soldiers that were attacking Listy and others were unable to understand what just happened.

That silence was blown away by Hajime’s angry yell that he spouted while breathing hard.

「Go already, Amanogawa!! I can only fire three more times!」

「Tsu, you won’t even need to shoot that many!!」

Kouki took a crouching start pose. A beat later, *BOOM* the rooftop’s floor was half destroyed by the step of Kouki who dashed out.

Within the speed that rushed through a hundred meter in three seconds, he saw the crimson flash that overtook him. The machine soldiers must have started moving again too. The machine soldier that tried to attack Mindy and others again was pulverized with a terrifyingly accurate sniping.

He couldn’t hold back a grin from forming on his lips. The second shot of railgun just now must have consumed a ton of magic power.

He couldn’t stand that guy. He was jealous, envious, and hated him from the bottom of his heart.

However, even though he had the composure to make the rational judgment, even if that rational judgment denied loudly how it was something that “should not be done”, he still wouldn’t abandon a child who was in the verge of dying in front of his eyes, that it was alright to protect children unconditionally. He was in agreement with such side of this guy.

The priority of what they wanted to protect and the way they protected differed, but their heart that wanted to protect someone wasn’t any different from each other.

And then, every time, he would save someone faster and in a better way than him.

Aa, it was really――

「So awesome it’s annoying-」

*Zan* He cut. He bisected all three assault soldiers that were coming down on Mindy and others. Inside his heart he thought 「How’s that, you don’t even need to fire three times right?」. The thought made him thought just how childish he was.

His landing shook the ground. At the same time he could sense how Mindy and the children swallowed their breath. From their point of view, Kouki must looked like he had just teleported here.

But, as expected he wasn’t given the time to reassure them that it was alright now that he was here. *Goon* The sound of afterburner accompanied the arrival of the air cavalries. From the sky where his blade couldn’t reach, large bullets that were like slug bullets were fired in high speed consecutively with thunderous sounds *dou dou dou*.

The bullet speed was relatively slow. It was easy to cut them. But, right now there were people who he should protect behind him. Even if he cut the bullets, it would be meaningless if the fragments ricocheted behind him.

That was why,

(Redirect, them……)

He focused, deeper and deeper, like sinking into the bottom of a lake. He evoked the true height of Yaegashi-style, redirecting a great power with a small power.

His extreme concentration made the world lost colors. He could even perceive the countless bullet heads that were spiraling while flying this way――he softly grazed the bullets with the flat side of his holy sword and changed only their trajectory.

The inside of Kouki’s heart was relaxed. Seen from the side, there were only countless sword lines decorating the space in god speed. They splendidly diverted the trajectories of all the slug bullets to avoid Mindy and the children behind him and gouged another spots. It didn’t end with just that, several bullets even hit other machine soldiers.

Impossible to understand. Impossible to analyze. Such godly feat was impossible to execute with human’s body.

In front of such sword technique that already reached the realm of supernatural, the machine soldiers’ movement stopped once more. Even the airborne air cavalries were watching with their single eye flickering rapidly. It was as though they were shaken to their core.

(I can’t do anything against flying enemy, this is really difficult. ……I have recovered slightly from the rest just now, can I fire “Soaring Flash” at least once if I pour all my remaining magic power into it?)

Yes, he could. Nagumo had let his railgun roared. How could he become the only one to say that it would be difficult for him! He scolded himself. The fuel consumption of Hajime’s “Lightning Clad” and the light element advanced attack magic “Soaring Flash” was in a different dimension though……

The holy sword flashed as though to rebuke his partner like that.

Immediately an image formed in Kouki’s mind. The holy sword told him 「I can do it」.

Another grin welled up again. This partner was really too good for someone like him.

Kouki lifted up his left hand with overwhelming gratitude and wholehearted trust. It was as though he was aiming at the hovering air cavalries. And then, he pointed the tip of the holy sword in his right hand straight forward,

「――Pierce, Holy Swordpartner!」

*Kinn* A sharp and stiff sound rang out a little. The source of the sound was the air cavalry. Yes, it was the air cavalry that got its head pierced by the holy sword that lengthened until 50 meter in an instant.

The holy sword then smoothly shortened again. The air cavalry that was released from its impalement fell to the ground like a condemned criminal.

Even while that was happening, the holy sword that reached the length of 40 meter even while there was almost no change to its weight was swung in a flash. Then, at the same time when the holy sword returned to its original length, the dozens of guard soldiers that were huddling together at the front slid down diagonally into two and fell together.

Then, at that timing, the building at the left was destroyed and a new type of machine soldier appeared. Kouki’s expression twitched seeing the weapon on its arms.

「Ga, gatling!?」

The body shape of the robot was like a three meter golem with wide and round body. Its arms were attached with revolving gun muzzles. Looking closer there was even something like missile pods on its shoulders. Its armor also looked tough just from its appearance. Most likely this was a type called heavy soldier.

It would be trouble if saturation attack from such weapon rained down on him. Kouki hurriedly lengthened his holy sword to cut it down. But, in the next moment,

「Begone」

The heavy soldier was pulverized along with that word. A similar mechanical arm――the artificial arm of Hajime who flew like a cannon from the sky behind socked it hard with “Vibration Crush”.

The heavy soldier fell on the ground heavily that it even made a crater. Its upper body pitched forward onto the ground and it stopped functioning without using its armaments even once. Cloud of dust rose up due to the tremor and shockwave. It was as though a bomb had just get dropped there.

Naturally, the machine soldiers finally backed away after witnessing Hajime’s inhuman destructive power and Kouki’s impossible sword skill just now. They who should be machine without soul looked like they were trembling. It seemed they were scared in front of an opponent that was impossible to comprehend.

「Etemp, stuff Jasper with every medicine you got. Netemp, lay out a barrier of string using the piece of junks over there.」

Hajime was breathing hard with heaving shoulders and his complexion also looked slightly bad, even so he barked out sharp orders that sent shivers to the listeners. Naturally the reply that came back was the sharp voice 「Ii!!」 of affirmative.

At the same time, Hajime took out two ampoules of recovery medicine from his tactical vest and tossed it to the dumbfounded Mindy, no, to Listy who stepped furthest to the front than anyone.

Listy went ‘awawawa’ in panic, but she caught them firmly just as expected.

「Make Jasper drink them. He might still make it.」

「Aa, uu, fhaiii!」

Fhaiii! Did she mean fight by that? Hajime thought for a moment, but seeing how her lips were slightly twisted in pain, she must have bitten her tongue. Netemp got on her head, even then Listy didn’t look that perturbed and stared at Hajime with a gaze that was filled with a strong emotion just for a moment before she immediately turned around and dashed toward Jasper.

Just as he thought, she was really gutsy……Hajime thought with a small smile while standing side by side with Kouki.

『Warriors of foreign world, my thanks. Please――』

Words from “lord of paradise” that were filled with great gratitude reached them. However, Hajime completely ignored that and glared at the machine soldiers that were gathering in droves.

「Nagumo」

「Aa?」

Kouki quietly addressed him. Hajime replied with a displeased tone.

「I’ll tell Myuu-chan later about the demon king’s heroic saga today.」

Saving children was only natural. That was why Hajime-papa surely wouldn’t intentionally tell his beloved daughter about this sotry. However, Kouki wished Myuu to know.

Because Nagumo Hajime was an invincible demon kinghero for that child. He would tell her, your papa had saved another small life just like he did with you before.

Rationality, efficiency, priority, this guy went beyond his own evaluation standards and saved someone’s life. Then, it should be fine for him to at least receive the reward in the form of his beloved daughter’s praise and respect.

(Well, something like that must have already hit the max value from a long time ago though.)

Kouki thought with a smile unconsciously forming on his lips.

「……Amanogawa」

「Hm?」

「Be careful that you don’t get hit with accidental shooting.」

「What does that mean!?」

「Also, just so you know, there’ll be accidental shooting if you get near Myuu.」

「Accidental!? That’s definitely will be a deliberate shooting won’t it!?」

「This damn masochist hero」

「Stop treating me as masochist already!」

Kouki who was in a calm and peaceful state just now got thrown into disorder with anger. At the same time, Hajime was also in a MAX displeasure!

The conversation that wasn’t reading the mood at all resounded through the tense battlefield. The machine soldiers returned to their senses because of that and started moving.

And then, as though to beat them to the punch, god speed shooting and slashing that even the machine’s high performance sensor couldn’t perceive destroyed six soldiers each.

「We’ll take care of these guys first. Don’t hold me back, hero.」

「You yourself……don’t cause any friendly fire, demon king.」

More than a hundred machine soldiers――versus the demon king and the hero.

An unprecedented battle would begin in the lowest level of the underworld.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep