“Warm, warm, lukewarm!!”
One-hit, two-cleave.
The moment the Ice Shark leaped from the water, I bisected it vertically.
I’ve lost count of how many Ice Golems I’ve cut down since I started fighting here.
Having faced such a vast number, I initially approached the task with caution, but gradually I began to respond purely on instinct. Eventually, it became a routine, and with room to think, I started to sense a nuance in the Golems’ fighting style: they wanted to keep me pinned down in this spot.
As my body moved, my spirits rose, but my mind remained calm, striving to organize the current situation.
My slashes, empowered by the Ore Tree’s connection, cut through ice reinforced with magic as easily as tofu, reducing their numbers before they could regenerate.
It didn’t matter if they were in the water.
I just had to cut through the water itself.
Certainly, being underwater could be advantageous for defense, but once a certain threshold was crossed, it could be ignored.
The resistance became slightly heavier, but it was only a minuscule difference.
One after another, I continued to cut, cut, and cut down the increasingly aggressive Ice Golems.
Seeing this, Kaido and the others seemed to be doing their best, but I also felt a sense of unease.
“This is strange.”
After a few minutes, less than five minutes, I found it suspicious that only Golems were appearing.
Kaido, who had been attacking at the first opportunity, wasn’t showing up, nor was Kitamiya, who was likely controlling these Golems, visible.
The number of times I’d cut through the water and exposed the ground was not just less than ten, but fewer than all my fingers combined.
Despite this, the absence of any human figures was quite odd.
The Golems moved smoothly.
This meant they were undoubtedly being controlled by human hands.
Yet, the fact that Kaido and the others were nowhere to be seen was inexplicable.
“So, that means… Ah, I’ve been tricked. Ah, I see, I see.”
I could feel my spirit soaring and my body heating up, but my mind remained clear.
Even now, I was casually cutting down Golems while deducing the location of Kaido and the others from their movements.
The movements of the sharks in the water, the gliding movements of the centaurs on the surface.
Upon closer inspection, those were movements impossible to execute in the water.
I initially thought they might be linked to the Golems to secure vision, but there were no such Golems in the sky.
Nor were there any commander-type units.
Even if there were, I had already cut down every visible enemy.
And there was no sign of their movements faltering.
If that’s the case, it’s strange that they can move so smoothly in visually obstructed areas like behind pillars.
“They made me think Kaido was in the water at first… They went through a lot of trouble.”
I voiced my thoughts, and as I searched for the reason why Kaido hadn’t appeared since his previous move, the pieces of the puzzle in my mind clicked into place, revealing the motive behind their actions.
I let out a wry smile, marveling at how my mind could arrive at such a conclusion, and predicted what would happen next.
When thinking complexly, it’s sometimes best to think in silence, but articulating my thoughts, even to myself, was a surprisingly effective and important way to organize them.
By speaking my thoughts aloud, I could reconfirm them and check for any oversights.
And as my thoughts cleared, I felt a sense of magic that made my lips curl into a grin.
“Have you finished observing, Minami?”
“Mufufufu, prepare yourself, Leader-sama! Gozaru!”
Relying on that sensation, I looked up. Minami, who had leaped into the air and landed on a magically created platform, fluttered her robe, struck a pose, and then crossed her arms, standing resolutely.
“Don’t be so obsessed with style,” I said with a laugh.
Keeping Minami, who had stopped hiding, in my sight, I scanned the surroundings for any presence or magic.
There was no magic, no presence.
The other members were nowhere to be seen.
And there was no possibility that the being before me was an illusion.
Those with high Magic Aptitude generally had resistance to status-altering magic.
So…
“…If you, the backliner, are facing me head-on, you must have some confidence, right?”
“Eh, can’t you cut me some slack because of this cute ‘me’ and avoid being careless like a duck that’s wandered into a trap? If you act all confident, thinking ‘Ah, here comes my prey,’ it would be helpful for me, but…”
“That’s the position of the weakest of the Four Heavenly Kings. I admit you’re good-looking, but considering your personality, acting confident would be dangerous.”
This was the genuine Minami challenging me, the frontliner, head-on.
It was suspicious, suspiciously so, which made me believe she had some sort of strategy.
In fact, knowing Minami, I could only think that way.
Conversely, it was also possible that this was a bluff to buy time while others plotted something, but if so, that was fine too.
“So, Minami.”
“Gozaru?”
“Enough with the idle chatter. It’s time.”
It was perfect that the hidden beings had revealed themselves.
It saved me the trouble of searching.
I was being drawn into the provocative attitude of the playful Minami, but I was frankly tired of the stagnant situation.
It was worth considering a change of pace here.
The Golem offensive suddenly ceased. I grasped the Ore Tree, which I had been holding loosely until now, with both hands, shouldered it, and took a forward-leaning stance.
I quickened the circulation of magic and channeled power into my legs.
My posture, clearly signaling an attack, was a modified crouching start.
“Let’s begin!!”
All that was left was to fight.
I unleashed the power stored in my legs and rocketed towards Minami in the air.
Minami’s confident smile remained unchanged. It crossed my mind for a moment that it might be a trap, but I had already launched myself.
If I tried to correct my trajectory now and show even the slightest vulnerability…
“KIIIIYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!”
With a monkey’s roar, I chose to cleave through.
The concept of friends was irrelevant now. Recognizing her as an opponent, I intended to bring down my blade with all my might, without holding back. But my one-stroke…
“That was good, gozaru.”
Minami’s eyes widened.
“I believed in you, Leader-sama.”
” ‘You came straight at me, gozaru.’ ”
Minami muttered this as she intercepted me.
“Kuh!?”
I thought, “Seriously?” as I witnessed the scene just moments ago.
The pain in my abdomen was proof that I had taken damage.
And because I had been intercepted, Minami was sent flying away at high speed.
In that fleeting moment of contact, I realized with pain that my attack, which would have surely finished Minami if I had brought it down, had failed.
“Gah, Itete! I’ve been blown back quite a bit. And when did you learn a skill like that?”
I finally stopped after crashing into one of the pillars.
The impact reverberated through my entire body, and I was surprised to find myself on the verge of losing consciousness for a brief moment.
Forcing myself out of the pillar where I was impaled, tens of meters from where I had been, I turned forward.
With half admiration for what Minami had done and half self-reproach for my carelessness, I let out a wry smile and recalled the scene.
“Aita-itata-itata!? Why, Leader-sama? How tough is your body!? I took more damage hitting you, this is too unfair, gozaru!? I took damage even after fully enhancing myself, I wasn’t told this would happen!?”
“There’s no way you wouldn’t get hurt hitting someone charging at you at full speed. Frankly, your movement just now was more unbelievable to me.”
I gave a wry smile as I watched Minami writhe on the ground she created, a short distance away.
Her current state was a far cry from the agile movements she had displayed earlier.
Minami’s immediate reaction to my movements, was it some kind of martial art? She moved her body smoothly and delivered a straight punch to my abdomen. It was a masterful blow, incorporating a powerful lunge from the initial spacing measurement and sliding into the opening of my attack, transferring her full weight. Her body movements reminded me of Tai Chi or Ba Ji Quan, but I hadn’t heard of her learning any martial arts, and I couldn’t imagine her being capable of such movements.
I wanted to demand what she had done, but…
“N-no time for that.”
“Senpai! You’re up! Prepare yourself!!”
The enemies wouldn’t give me time to recover from the damage I’d taken. Without a moment’s pause, Kaido, who had been hiding, launched his follow-up attack.
My stance was not ideal, and the large hit to my abdomen had slowed my movements.
On the other hand, my opponent was Kaido, in perfect condition.
“Hit it!!”
“I’ll follow up!!”
Kitamiya, launching magic from the rear, and Katsu, lunging with a fist from a different direction than Kaido, timed their attacks. As someone who taught them to seize opportunities, I was pleased.
“A little more forethought regarding the timing…”
“Huh?”
“Just kidding.”
“Eh?”
I’m far more accustomed to taking damage than you are. My training is not so weak that a mere blow to the abdomen would impair my movements.
“Here goes!”
“Ugo!?”
“Kaido-senpai!!”
“Don’t you look away! Here I come!?”
“Ah.”
“Listen to my advice carefully, Katsu!”
I parried the magic with my Ore Tree. Although the scattering ice crystals created a beautiful, glittering spectacle, I pushed through it.
With a minimal evasion by stepping back to a half-stance as the blade passed, the moment it was clear, I grabbed Kaido’s face in mid-air with my left hand. His mouth was covered, muffling a strange sound. Knowing the unnatural strain on Kaido’s neck, I didn’t kill his momentum and slammed him into a nearby pillar with one hand. Even without footing in the air, my magically enhanced body inflicted considerable damage on Kaido. The pillar he crashed into cracked like a spiderweb, embedding him within it. Katsu attempted to intervene to rescue him, but I mentally chided him, “You can’t do that in front of me.” Kitamiya’s scream echoed, and Katsu, startled, turned his gaze back to me. If I lose sight of him for even a second, closing this distance is easy.
“Agh!?”
Katsu’s abdomen met my right knee before he could move. I then swung my leg, sending him skidding across the water’s surface like skipping a stone, landing him on a pillar in a conveniently suited position for me.
“So? Now it’s just Kitamiya and Amelia.”
“…Are you not using the Ore Tree because you’re confident?”
“Perhaps. Would you believe me if I said I was wary of your magic?”
“I can’t, no.”
In an instant, Kaido’s party was annihilated. Kitamiya, maintaining a cautious distance, her staff at the ready, and observing Kaido, Katsu, and Minami, showed no signs of weakness.
“I see. Well, I’m afraid I have to ask you to play along with a test of my full capabilities. I want to know my current strength too.”
Although I received an unexpected attack from Minami, that was it. I would calmly reflect on it and confirm the mechanics after this battle.
I covered my legs with magic, walked on the water’s surface, and slowly approached Kitamiya. Amelia was nowhere to be seen. I thought she might be hiding for a surprise attack or retrieving the others, but she hadn’t appeared even at Kaido, Katsu, and Minami’s locations.
“Oh, you can walk on water too.”
“I tend to learn convenient little tricks, and I’ll teach you how later.”
“Yes, I’d love to hear it.”
Not wanting me to close the distance, Kitamiya quickly swung her staff, conjuring a Golem beside her and sending it towards me.
“I’ve seen that before.”
The movement, Kitamiya’s habit of controlling it. I had repeated it so many times that I no longer felt threatened by it. Once understood and grasped, it was no match for me. Without stopping, I cut down the ice centaur and the ice shark Golems as I passed them.
“If you have any other tricks, you should reveal them soon. Although, at this distance, I can attack before you can cast your magic.”
With that, I brought Kitamiya within one step’s reach, like a checkmate. I readied my Ore Tree, not carelessly, but to ensure a certain kill.
“Everyone, dodge!!”
“Universal retreat, gozaru!!!!”
It was at that moment.
A sound like shattering glass echoed from above, and immense magic erupted. Then, steam billowed from the water below, obscuring my vision. I heard Amelia’s voice and Minami’s voice.
She had saved her trump card until the very end.
The last scene I saw was Kitamiya, who had started running to escape at full speed without regard for her appearance, firing a barrage of ice shards as a final stalling tactic. And then, an enormous blue lightning bolt, containing immense magic, descended upon me as I was momentarily stopped by it.
A flash and a thunderous roar.
Both momentarily incapacitated my ears and eyes.
Ah, I’ve truly been outplayed. Minami, she hid Amelia behind a barrier and unleashed a greatly powerful magic, a siege magic at that.
“Did I do it!?”
“Wait, Kitamiya-chan, that’s a flag!”
“No, but even Jiro-san probably wouldn’t survive that? Maybe we should go help him.”
“That’s foolish, Katsu. It’s our Leader. He’ll surely say ‘the fight is just beginning’ with a smile, even if he’s in tatters, gozaru.”
“Um, I attacked with all my might as Karen-chan told me to, but I think I might have gone a little too far, I think.”
As my eyes and ears gradually recovered, I could hear their voices. My surroundings were charged with electricity, and the afterglow of the previous lightning strike crackled. The steam had been blown away by the recent lightning, but the lightning that shattered the pillars had, in turn, stirred up dust, obscuring my vision. Kitamiya seemed to be excitedly confirming the success of their perfectly executed plan, but Kaido appeared flustered by her confirmation method. Katsu and Amelia seemed worried about my condition, and Minami, who dismissed their concerns so easily, said something that made me want to question what she thought of me. Well, that is to say, to summarize this result. I could only say I was outplayed. Kaido and the others had grown more than I had imagined, and I had become complacent. That was all. So, in deference, I would use a trump card. I hadn’t intended to go this far. The residual charge around me intensified once more.
“Honestly, you guys have no mercy.”
“!!??”
“Ah, Leader-sama, are you truly human, gozaru?”
“Well, perhaps a few parts of me have transcended humanity, but I’m still technically human.”
I took a step and spoke, causing everyone except Minami to look surprised. Brushing away the dust with my Ore Tree, I looked towards them. Among the bewildered faces, Minami’s expression stood out, as if she had somehow sensed it, and she opened her mouth with a “Ahhh,” nodding in understanding.
“What, as long as you’re human, you can handle one or two lightning bolts.”
“No, it’s too strange to be handling it with your bare body, gozaru.”
I appeared, clad in lightning of the same color and quality as Amelia’s, swirling around me like a mantle. When I said this, Minami, unsurprised, simply gave a sigh of exasperation.
“Now, shall we move on to the second round?”
I intended to reply to them, the ones who had finally made me serious.
Today’s word:
Overconfidence is a great enemy. Complacency and confidence are two different things.
This concludes this installment.
Thank you as always for pointing out typos and for your comments.
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*The first volume of the novel has been published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
The e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year.
The second volume was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of an unpublished interlude.
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The serialization of the comic adaptation is decided to be featured in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third,” issue number 9.
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