Chapter 370

Take care of me this year too!

『I’ll make an opening to escape. Please buy me some time right now!』

「Even if you say that, it’ll be troublesome if they self-explode.」

『Rest assured. I can only do it within a limited range but, if it’s just self-explosion I’ll be able to hinder it.』

「Splendid. Then there ain’t any need to hold back.」

A fearless grin formed on Hajime’s lips after he heard the words of the “lord of paradise”. He also gave an instruction 「Etemp, Netemp. Use the scraps too to reinforce the barricade as needed」 while――raising the curtain of battle by himself.

His right and left hands moved from its crossed position to mow in a fanning shape. With an accuracy that was like a joke, twelve machine soldiers that were just about to shoot at them had their heads exploded.

Kouki leaked out a dry laugh wondering just when did he have the time to aim while also unsheathing his sword in a flash. The godspeed slash that didn’t even display its drawing motion bisected all the enemies that stepped into the area within thirty meter from along with any obstacles on the sword’s path.

「……So I really wasn’t seeing wrong.」

It seemed that Hajime’s eyes perceived what happened just now, including when Kouki pierced the air cavalry in the air, where the holy sword expanded in that brief instant during the unsheathing until its sheathing again.

He removed Donner & Schlag’s bullet cylinders with a snap and exchanged them with the fully reloaded cylinders that were set inside his coat while glancing to the side with interest.

「Come to think of it, its shape has also changed into a katana huh.」

「It’ll change into the shape that I need. It’s sending me the image of how to use it.」

「Hee……」

The air soldiers formed a formation and attacked. They didn’t get too close due to their caution toward Kouki’s sword. They kept enough altitude while raining down rifle bullets like a heavy rain. In addition, when Hajime turned his gun muzzles toward them, they would immediately calculate the bullet trajectory and started making random dodging maneuver.

They had high learning ability. Therefore Hajime dodged the raining rifle bullets with the minimum movement while pulling the triggers of Donner & Schlag simultaneously with a slight angle added to them.

Immediately the air soldiers that should be taking evasive maneuver midair had their heads smashed one after another.

――Gun art Bounce Shot

Other than simple ricochet shooting using wall or ground, this demon king’s special move also changed the bullet trajectory by hitting bullet with another bullet to gouge the target. While he naturally ricocheted his bullets between each other, he also used the rifle bullets that the air soldiers had only just fired to change the bullets’ angle and fired through the future position of the enemies.

「Could it be that sword has its own will?」

「……I have never heard any tangible voice from it but, I think that it has.」

Kouki dodged the strafing from the machine soldiers. Even so the number of lasers was absurd. It was like a bluish white line of spears. Kouki parried the lasers that he was unable to dodge with the flat side of his holy sword.

The heat beam could open a hole through even steel, but the other world’s holy sword splendidly parried them without even a scratch.

In addition, the sturdy holy sword also parried the heat blade of the assault soldiers that rushed Kouki when there was opening. As expected it handled that weapon too flawlessly just like its user wished for. Kouki instantly reversed his grip and slashed apart the assault soldiers with a smooth motion.

――Yeagashi-style katana art Otoha NagashiFlowing Sound Blade

The assault soldiers’ attack was parried like flowing water. They advanced for a few steps after passing Kouki before their body slid down diagonally without a sound and crumbled down.

The exquisite sword art that executed defense and offense almost simultaneously was becoming even more well-executed the more it was repeated. It happened so smoothly as though the assault soldier was charging forward to get themselves slashed.

「Isn’t that right, partner?」

There was a will residing within his partner. Kouki swung the holy sword while asking it with a gentle expression that was accompanied with a conviction. Surely it was answering him 「That’s right」 with its flickering light.

「It ain’t giving any reaction at all.」

「Eeeeh!?」

The figure of the hero who was ignored by the holy sword could be seen there. He looked a bit shaken. Although the current Kouki wasn’t so green that his movement would be messed up by that.

He lined his blade with the rifle bullets that were fired by the air soldiers at the rear. But, he didn’t cut them. He could see assault soldiers at the corner of his vision launching simultaneous attack at him.

That was why this would save him the effort.

A peculiar sound of graze resounded. Right after that the assault soldiers’ heads exploded, by the rifle bullets of the air soldiers that were trying to snipe Kouki.

He parried the enemy’s attack and counterattacked almost at the same time with “Otoha Nagashi”. He didn’t slash with his sword but made use of the enemy’s own attack. It was a technique that Kouki created right now in this place. Yes, he redirected flying rifle bullets to hit the assault soldiers on purpose.

If he had to name it,

――Yeagashi-style katana art derivative secret technique Otoha Nagashi – SakanamiReverse Wave

As though to prove that this move wasn’t a coincidence but something that had been sublimated into a technique, he redirected all the concentrate fire of the air soldiers that kept raining down on him to hit the machine soldiers.

Parrying flying projectiles that flew with a speed that surpassed the speed of sound to hit the targets just as he aimed. This special move that surpassed the realm of human made the enemies stopped moving for a moment. It was as though they were shocked and dumbfounded even though they were machine.

There was no way Hajime would overlook that fatal opening. He destroyed nearly twenty enemies in one go with gun shooting and grenades. The machine soldiers returned to their senses with that, but the air soldiers’ sniping stopped. They understood that their attack would only benefit the enemy.

But, 「Hou」 together with that slightly impressed voice……

「Amanogawa, behind, the rooftop.」

「Hm? Owah!?」

Donner’s bullet was fired right from his side.

Kouki reflexively screamed at the unexpected friendly fire. However, he properly redirected the bullet even then to hit the enemy that circled behind them on the rooftop.

There was no way it could even imagine that a bullet that was fired to a completely another direction would be turned almost perpendicularly to come at it. The machine soldier that was peeking out its head got shot without even being able to take any evasive action and fell limply from the roof.

In a sense it was impressive how Hajime immediately made use of his technique after seeing it, but he still wanted to at least raise a protest.

「Nagumo! Don’t shoot so suddenly like that! What’re you going to do if it hit me!?」

「I’m trying to hit you know?」

「Those aren’t words that you should use for that kind of act!」

Even while arguing like that, the demon king and the hero swept clean the enemies circling to their back with improvised teamwork that didn’t let them predict the bullet trajectory.

It was at that timing the colleague of the heavy soldier before this that was removed from the stage at the same time of his entrance, broke through a building in its charge toward them. The fury of gatling guns attacked the two.

Hajime dodged by jumping to left and right. The gatling guns on the heavy soldier’s two arms each chased after Kouki and Hajime. The ground was blasted and gouged like the approaching footsteps of the death god.

(I see. So it feels like this to face gatling.)

It was the feeling of having something that he usually did getting turned back on him. It was extremely unpleasant. He didn’t give a damn that this was a boomerang that came back to him.

He converted the displeasure into killing intent and narrowed his eyes. He gazed at the heavy soldier within the world where the flow of time was slowing down. The enemy had heavy armor that rivaled a tank. Even with the armor piercing ammo he had with him, it would be hard to pierce that armor without electromagnetic acceleration.

However, even then Hajime pulled Shclag’s trigger while still in his dodging posture. He didn’t give Kouki any time to cut the enemy with his extending sword. This prey belonged to him.

Right after that, a single gunshot echoed with a sound that stretched slightly longer.

His body rotated once to land correctly and stood up. At the same time, the heavy soldier tilted and crumbled down with a wind hole opened in its head.

「As expected, it’s hard. But, it would be enough with just three bullets.」

Hajime snapped the bullet cylinder while muttering. Six empty bullet shells were thrown in the air.

――Gun art Pinpoint Shot

Yes, the gunshot that only sounded like coming from a single shot was actually the proof of quick shooting that fired six bullets simultaneously. Furthermore they landed on the same spot without even a single millimeter of deviation almost at the same time. The lack of penetrating power was solved by six consecutive shots in an instant.

The security soldiers pointed their gun muzzles at Hajime who had only just gotten on his feet. His feet moved as though drawing a circle with his body twisting to dodge lasers that were fired from another direction while Donner’s muzzle glided following his hand’s side throw movement.

Bullets were fired following that radiating trajectory and they drilled through the enemies. He rolled Schlag’s cylinder as though to caress his gun belt. By flicking the bullets that were stored in the gun belt with his thumb, they were loaded into the rotating cylinder from below with machine-like precision.

And so bullets were vomited out from Schlag, ricocheting and boring through multiple enemies. Then with similar action Donner also finished reloading when Schlag had finished shooting.

The greatest weakness of gunner, “bullet spent” was compensated with two handguns alternately attacking & reloading in a show of superhuman feat. It made it possible to attack consecutively without even a second delay in between.

In addition, even when the assault soldiers finally closed the distance by sacrificing their comrades, all their heat blades suffered defeat before the toughness of azantium. The blades never reached Hajime’s flesh with the obstruction of the barrel of Donner & Schlag or the shield on the artificial arm.

「This is child’s play compared to facing the apostles.」

Even the technique of twin swords that the robots displayed was forced to go under a severe evaluation before the Gun-Kata of the twin guns.

Even now the assault soldiers performed a suicidal charge in their attempt to somehow hinder Hajime’s reloading action, but the elbow blow from the artificial arm and the slug bullet that was fired from said elbow――pseudo-Hakkyouken quasi-Rimon Chouchu――blew their stomach to pieces and blew them away toward their ally, dragging them down.

There were two round eyes watching such sight.

「Amazing……」

It was Listy. She was watching Hajime’s back with sparkling eyes from inside the barricade that was created from spider string, rubbles, and the scraps of the machine soldiers.

After making Jasper drank all the recovery medicine that she received, Mindy tried to drag her back because it was dangerous. But she shook her off and peeked at the situation outside from between the gap of the junks unable to contain herself.

Etemp & Netemp who were riding on her left and right shoulders raised their arms banzai while screeching 「「Ii!!」」. It was like they were saying 「Right!? Right!?」「Our master is amazing right!? Compared to the like of hero!」.

「Yep, he’s the most amazing.」

「Listy!? Who are you talking with!?」

Mindy-san kept tugging on her clothes insistently from behind. Listy-chan resisted by clinging on the barricade with surprisingly strong grip. It seemed she really wanted to watch Hajime.

Although, it was true that what she was doing was dangerous. Mindy-san was correct in this case. It was proven at the next instant.

A new heavy soldier. That soldier tried to pulverize Hajime with the gatlin guns on its hands while *gakon* a barrel was opened on its back. It seemed it was equipped with a rifle at anti-material level. Its muzzle whether by accident or on purpose captured the gap of the rubbles from where Listy was peeking out.

It was already too late when she gasped in surprise. Bright muzzle flashes that happened in succession accompanied the lethal bullet before Listy’s eyes――

「You still have time to look the other way while facing me, composed aren’t you?」

Listy reflexively shut her eyes due to the sparks and shockwave that burst before her gaze, but then Etemp & Netemp poked her cheeks with their front leg and she opened her eyes again.

There she saw the heavy soldier crumbling down with a hole opened in its forehead and Hajime’s figure with Donner’s muzzle pointed toward said forehead and Schlag pointed backward――toward Listy.

Listy didn’t get it. The preposterous feat of turning the heavy soldier into a scrap with three consecutive Pinpoint Shot while simultaneously shooting down the enemy’s multiple rifle bullets with backward shooting without looking.

However, when she looked at that figure that was casually shooting down the missile swarms of another heavy soldier that rained down this way without even looking, she understood that she just got protected again.

Her eyes sparkled even brighter. Even the eyes of Mindy-san who also reached the same conclusion were sparkling. During that time Hajime turned his gaze back over his shoulder while casually doing superhuman feat of reloading the bullets of his artificial arm’s gimmick with midair gun spin reload.

It was just for an instant, but Listy understood. He was telling her 「It’s dangerous so back off」. And so she quickly nodded and obediently withdraw deeper into the barricade. Mindy was in a fluster, so she didn’t forget to collect her and dragged her back.

「Good girl.」

He smiled slightly and saw the barricade strengthened in proportion of the increasing scraps with Etemp & Netemp’s strings reaching for those. The gap was also closed.

Handling all of the enemies’ attacks were physically impossible from the start with just the two of them. That was why the barricade was constructed. Even if it was battered, it would immediately get resupplied with the scraps around them and strengthened.

But……the number of the enemies was inexhaustible. Furthermore, even though they had defeated more than half of the number of the beginning, there was no sign of the enemies decreasing. Most likely there were reinforcements arriving one after another.

Therefore, although it was a defensive line that was maintained by the demon king and the hero, currently their strength was being greatly curtailed, so it was only a problem of time until the enemy broke through them. And that time finally arrived.

One assault soldier slipped through the two’s defensive line and clung on the barricade. It stabbed its heat blade into its comrades’ remains without any hesitation. The place that was struck glowed hot and melted.

「Tsk. It’s strong against slash and impact, but it’s weak against heat.」

Hajime referred to the spider string. It had been strengthened. As the proof it was able to emit heat to a degree that could trick thermography, but it wasn’t a match against a heat in a level that was used as blade. If the scrap shield was broken through, a hole would be opened in a flash.

Naturally Hajime tried to destroy the robot but……

「! Newcomer」

A heavy soldier descended from the sky and landed on the barricade with a thunderous boom. Etemp & Netemp’s spider string barrier wasn’t so soft it would be crushed with just that, but it was a fact that Hajime’s shooting was obstructed.

When he looked up, he could see three air soldiers carrying one heavy soldier with cables. It seemed that the enemy judged that if encirclement from four directions was insufficient, they just needed to attack from above.

Cables were purged and heavy soldiers came down on the barricade one after another. There were also thorough by having assault soldiers clinging on their backs. It seemed the assault soldiers planned to tear the barricade while under the protection of the heavy soldiers.

Even if Hajime shot down several of the heavy soldiers in the air, right now he needed three shots just to destroy one heavy soldier. Naturally even now he was still under attack from the surrounding. His number of attack was physically insufficient.

As the result, three more heavy soldiers managed to land accompanied by the assault soldiers on their back. Even more heat blade stabbed into the barricade.

It was a situation that mass produced tongue clicking from Hajime. Now that it had come to this he might have to steel himself and took out his own “gatlingMetzelei”……just when he was about to make such decision,

「My bad-, I got separated! Take care of the descending enemies Nagumo!」

「You’re slow stupid idiot.」

Kouki charged from the side and landed lightly on the barricade――right at the center of the heavy soldiers and the assault soldiers.

Then an instant later, it was an explosion of fighting spirit. Unlike the calm sword handling until now, he unleashed a ferocious horizontal slash that mowed down his surrounding. A shockwave sound that resembled an explosion surged and the heavy soldiers along with the assault soldiers clinging on the barricade were blown away to the surrounding 360 degree.

「You, that」

「Ah, yeah. I have gotten used to the shape transformation, or should I say I can use it properly now.」

Hajime narrowed his eyes while shooting down the robot force that dropped down from above.

His gaze was directed toward the holy sword. Its shape was its original western sword――no, its shape was similar to the great sword that Meld Loggins once used.

The newly arriving heavy soldiers concentrated their gatling barrage toward Hajime who was sniping the descending force. Kouki wedged himself into their line of fire to become Hajime’s shield as though for the payback of the heavy soldier’s deed of protecting the air soldiers before this.

And then he charged forward right into the storm of bullets with his sword as his shield. Without stopping he cut them all with a single horizontal slash.

He didn’t stop there. The assault soldiers that were using the bisected heavy soldiers as cover and the assault soldiers that rushed him from left, right, and behind were bisected altogether with a mowing slash that came from exactly the same direction.

――Kingdom knight’s sword art Rotation Blade

It was a technique where the sword that was swung horizontally with one hand would be handed over to the other hand behind the back and then it would slash horizontally again from exactly the same direction. The slash would reach to all directions like a whirlwind.

Yes, it was one of the techniques that Kouki learned in the past from the leader of Heiligh Kingdom’s knight order, Meld Loggins. The technique was the direct teaching of the strongest knight who excelled in protecting above all else and would mow down the outlaws that wanted to harm the kingdom.

In that case, there was no need to be fixated with katana in this battlefield where there were many people who he had to protect. After all whether it was Yaegashi-style or the kingdom’s knight sword art, either of them was his own power that was taught to him by people he respected.

As though to prove that, as soon as Kouki saw that the security soldiers as well as the heavy soldiers were focusing their attack on the barricade, he returned with a violent back step and then he planted himself heavily on the ground with a powerful step.

It was truly a majestic showing. That figure that absolutely wouldn’t withdraw when the people that he should protect were behind him even made Hajime saw Meld Loggins’s gallant figure overlapping that back.

Right after that, in front of the volley of hundreds of deathly bullets, Kouki rotated the holy sword that had turned into a great sword. The rotation instantly produced a roaring gale that looked like a giant round shield if it was seen from the side.

――Kingdom’s knight sword art Fortress Ring

That defensive stance was indeed a fortress that was formed by the large round swing. Everything whether it was bullet or beam was blocked, repelled, and parried without discrimination.

「It’s really interesting just as I thought.」

With Kouki acting as a shield, Hajime was sniping from behind him with reckless abandon.

「It looked like you were ignored before this, but there doesn’t seem any problem with the understanding between you two.」

「Your eyes that are like a mad scientist looking at a guinea pig is really worrying but, yeah. It’s also properly sending me the image――eh!? The connection vanished again!?」

「……I don’t want to think that this is the case but, it’s not actually trying to make an appeal 『There is no will or anything here you know?』 toward me isn’t it?」

「N-no way that’s the case……」

New ventilators were created in the machine soldiers that were raining down bullets this way and they dropped like flies. Kouki stopped his “Fortress Ring”, but seeing him starting to reflect even the machine soldiers’ beams to the spot he chose, Hajime also turned his focus toward the enemies that were circling to behind them.

But, his gaze kept glancing at the holy sword.

「I also didn’t see any particular reaction when I fiddled with the holy sword in the past……」

「You said that what you did with it was like removing its rust wasn’t it? You mentioned that you didn’t touch the holy sword’s core.」

「Yeah. That’s why, Amanogawa.」

「Hm?」

「After this battle is over, lend me that sword. I want to try dismantling it. Until its every nook and corner.」

「Eh, is it really okay if you do that to this sword? ……Well, if I can understand this holy sword even more with that then――」

Right after that. The holy sword shined *pika―――* brightly. Furthermore it was also flickering intensely. It was as though it was saying 「Partner! You’re horrible! Not just once, you’re going to hand me to such mad scientist for the second time! I refuse! Absolutely refuse!!」.

Perhaps its reaction was dull when near Hajime was like when a rabbit was holding its breath when there was a predator nearby……

Hajime and Kouki who somehow guessed the holy sword’s feeling fell silent for a bit. Then a beat later.

「It absolutely has its own will.」

「It has.」

They let out words of conviction. The holy sword-san hurriedly reduced its light as though to say 「Ah, damn it!?」 and pretended like 「I’m just a holy sword, nothing more[.

Hajime’s eyes were looking even more like a mad scientist that was looking down on a guinea pig. Or perhaps a child who found a toy that looked fun.

「D-don’t worry partner! I absolutely won’t let the demon king lay his hand on you!」

*Pikaa~~~*

「What’s with that feeble light. You think you’re a heroine who is targeted by the demon king or something?」

It was the sad aspect of the mad demon king-sama that such statement couldn’t really be said to be wrong.

Even while they were making frivolous talk like that, the enemy’s reinforcement hadn’t stopped coming. Hajime himself was starting to run out of bullet.

「Lord of paradise, you still not finished?」

『I need thirty more seconds!』

「That’s what he said, Amanogawa.」

「Roger, Nagumo. This is the last spurt.」

It wasn’t like Kouki’s words were the signal, but right after that, the enemy was also coming with their last spurt.

It was a suicide attack where they would decide the battle with quantity. Against the attack that was like a tsunami where normally the opponent wouldn’t be able to last for even a few moment――

「――”Limit Break”」

「――”Limit Break”」

The enemy attacks were handled on, on, and on by the two.

A single bullet would bounce from a rifle bullet to other rifle bullet like pinball, diverting their trajectory while also drilling into the enemies.

All the lasers were blocked by the convertible external shield. Furthermore anchor wires were fired and the heavy soldiers were swung around like a bad joke. They were turned into improvised flail that blew away the whole advancing enemy.

Great sword changed into katana and then back into great sword again right away. The sword transformed every single instant, along with the way of fighting of the wielder each time. The machine’s analysis ability couldn’t catch up with the height of the sword art.

They would be slashed if they approached, and even if they didn’t approach all their attacks would be redirected to pierce through their own machine allies.

Even when they attempted a saturation attack, the great sword would cause a whirlwind and swung in a giant arc as a shield that hit everything back.

The battle strength that was invested into this fight had already surpassed 300. And yet, not only they couldn’t even scratch mere two humans, they didn’t even look winded, furthermore they even gotten much stronger after coming this far.

But in reality, Hajime was almost running out of bullet, while Kouki was using body strengthening magic so his remaining magic power had decreased considerably. They were slowly getting driven into disadvantage but……

For the machine soldiers side that didn’t know that, these two were nothing but the incarnation of irrationality. Irregular that was beyond comprehension. The avatar of nightmare.

Therefore, they invested it. The machine soldiers of upperworld that originally should never be needed to be summoned to take care of the underworld’s commotion.

「Aa?」

Hajime caught a sight of a mechanical silhouette in the corner of his vision. It was a silhouette that he had never seen before. From a glance it looked like a heavy soldier, but its armaments were completely different. Both its hands were carrying tower shields, while its two shoulders were installed with gun turrets that could be mistaken with tank cannon.

At the same time,

「That’s!?」

Kouki also noticed. From a glance it was an air soldier, but its back was carrying something that looked like a large tank. Its weapon was a single long and large rifle. That rifle that was held beside its waist with two hands was letting out sparks that looked really familiar.

Hajime wordlessly fired Pinpoint Shot――with six shots, double the amount that was needed to pierce through a heavy soldier.

But, perhaps it was just to be expected. The tower shield that seemed to be old-fashioned for this SF world generated something like a force field in front of it and deflected all the bullets.

At the same time, the heavy soldier with shield started rushing forward. While its steps were causing the ground to shake, its approaching speed was far removed from the word sluggish. Furthermore the tank cannons on its shoulders also fired.

In addition, the newcomer air soldier also fired a single shot that was like a flash. As expected, it was an electromagnetically accelerated shot――railgun.

Within the slowed world, Hajime raised Donner & Schlag and fired immediately. Each gun fired three bullets hit the bottom side of the two tank shells consecutively. The shells’ trajectory was slightly diverted up.

Kouki was also focusing his mind to the extreme with a desperate look. He gritted his teeth while barely managed to divert the railgun bullet. It felt like his arms were about to be blown away by the impact.

His arms felt numb and the impact made his head dizzy. If he didn’t have the “Limit Break” activated, and also if there wasn’t this much distance between him and the enemy, he wouldn’t be able to parry the shot just now at all. With that awareness, he broke into cold sweat when the air soldier started charging the second shot.

The tank shells passed through very closely above their head. They were leaving shockwave along their trajectory. The diverted railgun destroyed the edge of the barricade and the building ahead of it.

While the blast and shockwave showered their body,

(Hard!)

(Fast-)

Hajime and Kouki reflexively cursed each at the enemy’s hardness and the distance that was outside his range.

And then, against the approaching threat, the two made their decision, strangely at the same time. They considered each other’s specialty and the enemy’s spec, then they executed the best move that was necessary right now.

「Amanogawaaa」

「Nagumo-」

They both yelled with voice that sounded angry while turning behind. They did that while Hajime was letting out sparks and Kouki sheathing his sword.

The hero and demon king changed position with their backs facing each other. Their position was like a mirror image to each other.

What was needed was a single shot that could pierce through a long distance faster than anything. And then, a single slash that was sharper than anything.

「oOOOOH!!」

「HAaAAAH!!」

Yells of fighting spirit cut through the air. At the same time, a crimson flash punched through the railgun air soldier in an instant, while an elongating slash of pure white bisected the shield heavy soldier in a straight line.

The place fell silent. The fact that the defensive line couldn’t be breached even after sending out high grade machine soldier from upperworld made the machine soldiers stopped moving in a loss of how to proceed.

It was at that timing,

『Sorry to make you wait. I have seized some heavy soldiers and air soldiers, five each. Now is the time to escape! I’ll make them self-explode as soon as you have taken some distance!』

The voice of the “lord of paradise” resounded, at the same time five heavy soldiers appeared from the side road. Their control seemed to have been hijacked. The five heavy soldiers turned toward their ally and started laying out barrage of gatling guns and missiles. Air soldiers were also staring dog fight at the sky.

After confirming that, Etemp & Netemp took down the barricade.

From behind it there were the scared children, Mindy who had a stout-hearted gaze, and Jasper who stood up consciously even though he had to borrow Mindy’s shoulder.

Among all of them, Listy was the only one who was breaking into a run toward Hajime still with sparkling eyes――

Consecutive gunshots! At the same time Kouki also screamed 「Uwaa!?」

「Wh-what are you doing, Nagumo!?」

「……Sorry, I misfired.」

「Lies! Just now you shot at me with obviously bitter expression for some reason! They would hit me if I didn’t parry them!」

「Don’t say stupid things. I believed that you would properly redirect them to the enemies. In fact you defeated the robots sneaking up on us……it’s not like I’m thinking anything like burying my black history of entrusting my back to the like of hero. I’m speaking the truth you know?」

「You are thinking it! Or rather, do you think you can call firing six shots as misfiring!?」

「Look, people often say it right? “It’s a misfire if it’s just six shots”.」

「……Okay. Bring it onnnn-, this damn demon king-! I’m not going to die that easily!」

It should be a pressing situation, but for some reason it couldn’t turn serious.

Listy unconsciously stopped her legs and tilted her head while looking at the two and feeling puzzled from the bottom of her heart, 「These two, are they in good or bad relationship? Which is it……」.

Although, thanks to that comedy skit, the Jasper family’s fear and sadness seemed to thin down slightly. And so,

『I won’t be able to hold for long! Please move quickly!』

That order of the “lord of paradise” that sounded tearful somehow made their body moved immediately.

「Oi, you two! I’m thankful for the save, but save the quarrel for later!」

Jasper desperately pleaded while hastening the children to run into the alley.

Hajime and Kouki each looked at the other with bitter expression while following last to act as the rearguard.

「Listy-chan. Hold on Nagumo! Only the children’s pure heart can suppress that mad dog!」

「Who’re you calling a dog you bastard. Ah, it feels like I’ll misfire again.」

「This guy is no good. If I don’t return him back to the wive~s quickly, I don’t know what kind of mess he will make due to stress!」

Listy-chan didn’t really get what was going on, but understanding that it was fine for her to cling on Hajime just as she wished for now, she leaped at him. Etemp & Netemp fixed her on his back with skillful use of their string.

They were running through the path for a while. Perhaps thanks to the hijacked heavy soldiers and air soldiers, there wasn’t any sign of pursuer and they bought some distance while the children with slow pace also got fixed on Hajime and Kouki with strings to be carried.

There was no voice of the “lord of paradise” when they entered the alley. He might be restraining himself because he said that his communication was tapped and their location deduced from that, but they would get lost if there wasn’t any guidance soon.

It was then a window of a building was broken and something rolled out. It was a metal ball around the size of a basketball――no, it was a machine. Its single eye was shining.

Tension ran through everyone for an instant thinking that it was a new machine soldier but,

「Nice to meet you, I’m the “lord of paradise”――no, tactical support AI, G10P5-B409. Please call me G10. Now, come this way.」

The true identity of the “lord of paradise” that finally showed himself made Jasper and others speechless. Hajime and Kouki narrowed their eyes.

Although, when the ball floated weightlessly in front of them and urged 「Quick, this way!」, they could only follow because they had no time for asking questions here.

And then, several minutes later.

Hajime and others vanished into the underground once more with loud explosion behind them.

Just a little while before Hajime and others slipped underground once more.

A single security soldier appeared in that underground space where the two were summoned at the beginning. It illuminated the room with bluish white light and investigated meticulously until every nook and cranny.

After a little while, that security soldier suddenly lifted its face with the light still illuminating the room. It stared at empty air while――

『They’re still resisting even against that much force……』

Surprisingly it was talking to itself.

『Humans that aren’t in the data. Strange weapons and power. The successive dispatches of the battle forces are just for analysis, but those are still astounding powers that are hard to comprehend.』

This machine was similar with G10, but it was clearly different based on what it was saying. Its voice was accompanied with a vague unpleasantness.

『And that code……as I thought a survivor is……』

The security soldier returned its face to meticulously investigate the scraps that were scattered in the underground space even while muttering to itself.

And then it finally constructed a hologram image using the light that was shining from its single eye. The image projection of the scraps was recovering its original appearance as though time was being rewound.

The traces of explosion and the shape of the wreckages were analyzed to hypothesize the original shape. The image of the summoning device was gradually constructed. Before long it recovered its almost perfect appearance and……

『This is……of all things, don’t tell me it’s real? The space teleportation system……furthermore, it’s the other world teleportation that should be just an academic theory?』

Inquiry was piled on top of inquiry and the trembling of the air was gradually getting bigger. Excitement blended into the security soldier’s voice and finally it even let out a pleased voice loudly that could be called as a hearty laugh.

But the laugh suddenly stopped.

『Don’t tell me, they might really be able to escape completely……interesting. Really interesting.』

The security soldier folded its arms quite like a human. It started to think of something.

『If I can analyze this much, added with the past data, it will be possible for me to construct my own system. Fortunately I was also able to collect the remain of unknown energy that was left behind by the otherworlders……』

And so the conclusion that it reached was……

『Very well. Then let’s start a war for the first time after 200 years. Let’s face the otherworlder with otherworlder, the unknown of other world with the known. ……Fufu, I have the feeling it will be fun.』

The hologram of the reconstructed summoning device vanished. The everlasting darkness instantly returned into the room.

Inside that darkness, the light of the bluish white single eye flickered like a will-o-wisp, together with a small laugh.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep