Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 368

“Panting, panting, panting… Reporting survival.”

It’s become almost ridiculous to even count the times I’ve ended up in this state.
I’ve experienced it so often that I’m not going to dwell on it or panic this time.
Hiding calmly behind a rock, I try to catch my breath while also keeping an eye on my surroundings.
My thoughts are remarkably composed, as if resigned to the fact that I’m already accustomed to being in trouble.

“Kaido, I’m alive! My magic is completely depleted, though.”
“For some reason, I’m alive too!”
“I’m done for, can’t even use simple magic.”
“I’m alive, but I have zero magic potions.”
“Amelia?”
“She’s spaced out next to me.”

And it’s not just me.
Being in this condition means I’m alive.
The phrase “barely alive” has become a preamble, and it seems my party’s evasion skills have also been refined to an impressive degree.
Everyone is holding their breath, careful not to be discovered not only by the Dragon King we were just fighting but also by any other dragons within the dungeon.
That all-out assault ended in failure.
At the very last moment, I intended to chop off that long neck with my magic.

“It’s customary for the boss to transform. To think I missed it, how regretful!”
“No, anyone who could predict that is strange.”

My slash, the barrier of light that blocked my magic, Amaterasu.
When it was deployed, the Dragon King had transformed into a pure white dragon.
Before I could even rejoice at having drawn out the General’s trump card, the pure white color quickly shifted to pure black, and a gravity bombardment scattered across the entire area.
The pure white dragon form excels at defense, while the pure black dragon form excels at offense.
I consider it valuable information that it can switch between these forms.
In addition,

“Just knowing the reason for the gray is a profit. It’s the only way to think about it.”
“The actual profit is also the best! I wonder how much the Dragon King’s materials are worth?”
“Who knows. I’ll have Memoria cash them in when we get back.”

Suppressing my weak laughter, I recall that exchange.
At that time, in that moment.
A definite opening, as the party members attacked in full force.
Although it was an unfamiliar weapon, I unleashed my full power with it.

“Let all things be born, and chaos be manifest now.”

The incantation process is an important element in solidifying one’s image.
Soaring through the air, I approached the Dragon King’s neck in a drawing stance.
Kitamiya’s ultimate magic, Kaido’s hidden move, Amelia’s disaster magic.
We pushed the Dragon King back with attacks from three directions, buying me time to finish my incantation.

“The elemental essence of the abyss, peer deeply, peer deeper than anything else, and it will peer back at you.”

A faint tremor, a rattling sound, and dark magic within the scabbard began to writhe. I sharpened that vibration, dyed my blade with it, and now, it became one stroke.

“That darkness connects to all phenomena, that blackness shall become all things.”

From the sheathed sword, I drew the sword guard. A faint, lustrous black stained the visible blade from that tiny gap.

“The name of this stroke is…”

I will absolutely cut through.
With that intent, I unleashed the blade from the scabbard, aiming for the Dragon King’s neck, which was now right in front of me.

“Crimson Crow!”

The blade, which could be described as pure black darkness, was a corrosive blade compressed dark magic taught by Instructor Fushio.
It’s a creature of chaos that erodes and devours even magic, events of a lower order than this blade.
The demonic sword, Shigure, has an affinity for shadow magic, which also gives it resistance to darkness.
It’s a blade against light attributes that cannot be unleashed in the Ore Tree.
However, if it’s the same attribute, it’s not rendered ineffective.
The essence of this blade is to break through the opponent’s defenses and insert a sharp blade hidden within the true darkness, ignoring their defense.
A two-stage attack that pierces the dragon’s defenses and then cuts with a black-dyed blade into its defenseless neck.
With this, I was confident and chose this one strike.
The horizontal, jet-black slash released from the scabbard showed no signs of stopping.
The Dragon King’s arm inserted itself between the Dragon King’s neck and me.
The arm was imbued with magic, and its claws, swung down to meet my attack, intersected with my blade.

“!?”
“Prepare yourself!”

The clash, which should have blown me away due to the size difference, delivered a result that made the Dragon King exclaim that he had witnessed something impossible.
Out of the five claws, three were severed, and the jet-black blade continued on, approaching the scales on its neck, which had withstood the attacks of a veteran warrior.
At this moment, I was convinced.
This blade would surely sever the Dragon King’s neck.
There was no hesitation, and I pushed the blade forward further, as if to encourage myself to go.

“■■■■■■■■■■!!”

However, just as the blade was a few dozen centimeters from its neck, we were engulfed in light.
And our bodies were blown away as if pushed out by that light.

“I let my guard down! Ah, I can’t believe I let you land a blow on me again! I completely let my guard down! I’ll praise you, Jiro Tanaka, for making me show you this cursed form, something only the Demon Lord has done before!!”

The other parties who were launching their all-out assault were also blown away by the light, and all of our magic was canceled out by that light.
The pure white dragon, which appeared mystical, called out my name with an uncharacteristically rough tone, as if ashamed of its appearance, and praised me.

“Ah, ah! Indeed, it’s cursed, but I’m also happy! Because now I can become ‘this form’ again after so long! Thank you!”

Then, as if shedding its pure white mystique, crimson lightning enveloped its body, dyeing its white form into jet black.

“I’m going to get completely hyped up!”

Minami muttered, “What kind of Demon Lord is this,” and I inwardly laughed, thinking it was precisely the case.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■!!”

Facing the being that had become a jet-black dragon, I immediately understood.
This was impossible.

“Withdraw!”

Minami, who grasped the battle situation better than anyone else, seemed to agree.
Abandoning her usual demeanor, she let out a full-powered shout, and we acted swiftly.
We don’t challenge opponents we can’t defeat.
That’s common sense, and from here on, our hell was about to begin.
Having poured all our stamina into trying to defeat it, we had no energy left.
In such a situation, there was little we could do.

“Something’s coming!”

It wasn’t outright panic, but I felt a strong sense of foreboding, like a siren blaring in my head, warning of danger, and my instincts dictated a full-speed escape.
As we put distance between us at full speed, only Kaido glanced back.
He increased his arm movements with a pale face, reporting as he ran faster, wishing he hadn’t looked.

“What do you mean, ‘something’s coming’!?”

Kitamiya, running at full speed without regard for her appearance, asked Kaido what he saw, but…

“I don’t know! Something big and black appeared above the Dragon King!”

We had hoped for even a little information, but we realized this action was also a futile endeavor.
The Dragon King was definitely coming to kill us.
He was proving that the name of the Seven Generals was not for show.
The dragons in my peripheral vision, sensing the danger, were either burrowing deep underground, flying away at full speed, or running away at full speed, trying to escape from it all.

“Run! Just run to the exit at full speed!”

It was then that I intuitively understood why this dungeon was such an open field.
Was it to create diverse territories for the dragons to intercept us?
That was merely a byproduct.
The real reason was…

“Ground Zero.”

“! Everyone jump off this cliff!”

Before I could even answer, we followed Minami’s command and threw ourselves off the seemingly bottomless cliff.

“Amy-chan!”
“OK!”

And with a response like telepathy, Amelia, who understood what I wanted with just my name, formed a large barrier to cover us.
And then, the great impact that followed is what has led us here.

“Haa, who would have thought this dungeon was just a field designed to make fighting the Dragon King easier?”

Minami grinned as she took out the Dragon King’s claw, which she had stealthily pocketed at the last minute, from her Magic Bag. The others around her let out wry smiles, but for now, we just wanted to rest.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed we had been lost from their sight due to that one attack, which had the power to obliterate the entire surrounding area, so we didn’t have to worry about being found for the time being.

“We’ll escape once Amelia wakes up. Until then, everyone rest.”
““““Yes.””””

And so, leaning against the rocks, we savored a moment of respite for now.
Unaware of the various troubles unfolding outside.

Side Change

Another Side

Himusumi Toru was irritated.

“The situation regarding the injured is confirmed. Now, a report on the search on the south side.”

Honestly, Himusumi and Kawasaki were nothing more than decorative pieces.
After the Tree King Lunaria arrived at the village and met with the tribal chief, Lunaria instructed her subordinates and began her operation.
Himusumi had assumed she would lead them in hunting magical beasts, but instead, she focused on assessing the current situation.
If it had been the Oni King, he wouldn’t have bothered with such troublesome things.
He would have left only the necessary soldiers for defense and gone out to annihilate the enemy.

“They aren’t on the south side. So, to the west? No, they might have been swept away by the flow.”

However, Lunaria’s approach was different.
She was trying to secure the safety of the surroundings first.
Although she mobilized her subordinates, she did not take the lead herself, instead meticulously examining her subordinates’ reports from a makeshift encampment.
This difference from the job Himusumi had imagined gradually caused his dissatisfaction to build, and just a short while ago.

“Please let me accompany the troops to hunt monsters too!”

He requested to accompany Lunaria, wanting to join the returning unit.

“That is not possible. Given that the enemy’s objective is still unknown, I cannot rashly allow you to act.”

After glancing at Himusumi, she returned to confirming the report and stated decisively.

“But!”
“I am the commander of this operation. You agreed to follow my orders as a condition for accompanying us. If you intend to break that, you are welcome to return home.”

He tried to argue further, but Himusumi’s mouth shut upon hearing Lunaria’s words, as she hadn’t been enthusiastic about bringing him along in the first place. He resigned himself to waiting for instructions.
Kawasaki, trying to gently soothe Himusumi, whose unspoken irritation was evident, calmly focused on assessing the current situation.
It was reckless for a newcomer like her to even come here.
She, who concluded that she wouldn’t be thrown into battle, had volunteered with a specific purpose.
Unlike Himusumi, who harbored heroic aspirations, she acted with selfish intentions, behaving kindly on the surface.

“It’s alright, Toru-kun. Even though Lady Lunaria said that, I’m sure you’ll be able to help once things get moving, right?”

So, for now, she focused on looking after Himusumi.
Not wanting to provoke what she understood to be an unhidden dissatisfaction, she tried not to grate on Himusumi, who was interacting with Kawasaki.
While having such a conversation, Kawasaki’s ears were diligently gathering information that Himusumi dismissed as useless.

“A swarm of monsters discovered to the north, numbering thirty.”
“Only scattered monsters were found to the west.”
“The types of monsters are diverse, including species not found in this land.”

Since she had the opportunity to legally hear about job-related matters, Kawasaki diligently worked to understand the situation.
A medical facility had been set up a short distance from the command post.

“Are you alright?”
“Ah, thanks to the medicine, there’s no pain. Thank you.”

Inside, a man lay on a bed, his face so bandaged that it was impossible to tell who it was.

“You’re making your family worry. Well, you did your duty as a guardian.”
“Hahaha, I hope so.”

One of the village women came to check on him, and the man responded.
And a colleague came to check on him, concerned about his injuries.
At first glance, given the current situation, it looked like any ordinary scene.
However, there was one suspicious point about this injured man.
It was that he had barely escaped from the forest after being severely injured by a monster, and then lost consciousness as soon as he arrived.
Those around him thought he was lucky and rejoiced at his return.
His family, of course, rejoiced.
The man himself rejoiced at having survived.
However, he did not realize.
That he had been attacked by a monster, and during that encounter, a specific modification was made to him by a man.
About ten kilometers away from the village.
Through a monster that specialized only in hiding, with layers upon layers of camouflage.

“Hahaha, I hope so.”
“Yes, the reception is good. All that’s left is to hope that the man who escaped makes contact with a person of power.”

Unaware that their conversation was being eavesdropped on.
Dazzlo, a Court Mage dispatched from the Empire, occasionally muttered to himself while listening with a specially processed magic stone swallowed into the injured man’s abdomen.
The magic stone collected sounds.
It was an accessible and effective method of information gathering.
The magic stone could be remotely operated to disappear, leaving no evidence.
And as long as the magic power lasted, eavesdropping was possible.
After waking up, all he heard were snippets of casual conversation. He thought it might take a while to get the information he needed, but then.

“That’s right. The Tree King wants to hear from you once you wake up. Is there any information?”

The opportunity presented itself sooner than expected.

“Haa, I guess I’ll keep listening for a while.”

Dazzlo sighed that he couldn’t relax, and grumbled about the hardships of serving the court.

Word of the Day: There can be misunderstandings between realizing something on your own and having it instilled by someone else.

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*The first volume of this 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.
Volume 2 was released on December 19.
Volume 3 was released on February 20, 2019.
The content includes revisions and additions to the story posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the inclusion of unpublished interlude chapters.
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