A Reincarnated Man Unknowingly Plunges the Highly Humid Heroines Into a Chastity-Reversal Death Game World ~Saving All the Heroines Who Are Destined for a Death Ending in a Death Game World, and Making Them All Gloomy~ - Chapter 15

Fight, Fight

The twisted pupils peeking out from under the wide-brimmed hat stared straight at me.

Of course I knew him.

‘Father Oldelan’

The first boss you meet in Ashes to Ashes.

Half the players couldn’t beat him and just threw their controllers and quit the game.

In the game’s scenario, he was the tutorial boss who was supposed to show up in the imperial capital ten years from now.

“Why are you here… you… you and the ‘Immortal Alliance’ aren’t supposed to start moving for another ten years…”

“Huh?”

Oldelan’s voice dropped low.

“Kid. You… you know about the Immortal Alliance (us)? Who told you?”

The Immortal Alliance.

The third faction in the world of Ashes to Ashes.

A group of immortals that appears when the main story hits the middle stages.

The only faction in the game that players can’t join.

They attack humans and demons alike, the hated group of the story.

Their trait is that every single one is immortal. And among them—there are men.

Clang. Oldelan slammed his big hatchet into the ground.

“Take him back and torture him. Before we start the resistance operation, I wanna crush any uncertain elements.”

Oldelan’s figure vanished.

The next instant, he was right in front of me, hatchet raised high.

High-speed step.

In the game it was a super-fast movement only bosses used, the kind of boss-only action that players mocked as “only the enemies get to have fun.”

“Relax, I won’t kill you. Not here anyway.”

Ah, it’s over.

Oldelan’s swinging hatchet looked strangely slow.

“—What are you doing to my childhood friend?”

“!?”

ZAG!!

The big hatchet stopped just a few centimeters in front of my face.

A sword was sticking out of Oldelan’s chest.

Someone had stabbed him from behind—

“You… you weren’t… dead…?”

“Ehehe. I learned the recovery magic [Blessed Steps] in the imperial capital and it paid off big time—Whatever, just die already.”

Thud.

Oldelan collapsed.

The one who had stabbed him through the heart from behind was

“…Nia?”

It was Nia.

Covered in wounds, her green hair undone and flowing, she flashed a V-sign with a big smile.

She’s… alive. Nia had stabbed Oldelan through the heart.

“Ehehe… Licht~ That was close, huh~? My cool moment… nah, more importantly, I’m so glad you’re alive—”

“Nia!! Not yet!!”

“Huh?”

“He’s not dead!! That guy is immortal (…)!!”

“—So why the hell do you know that?”

Gakiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!!

With a huge swing of the hatchet as he got up, he mowed across the area. Nia instantly clashed her sword against it to block.

A metallic clang that numbed the ears, the screech of blade grinding on blade rang out.

Using the force of being knocked back by the hatchet, Nia spun through the air and landed beside me.

“…Tch. I was planning a perfect surprise attack~ Idiot, not only do you know about the Immortal Alliance, you even know about me? Who the hell are you really?”

“…You’re famous, that’s why.”

“Huh~? I’ve been sealed away until pretty recently. Besides, the database in the facility with my info should’ve been burned to ash long ago—Anyway, enough chit-chat.”

The air around Oldelan changed.

The moment I looked away, I felt like I might get killed.

“Licht… do you know about that guy?”

Nia stepped in front of me like she was shielding me.

“…Father Oldelan. An enemy who uses a big hatchet and firearms. No magic, just ridiculously strong physical power and high-speed movement to close in.”

“Can the two of us… run away?”

“No chance, he’ll catch up… What about the other members, those big sisters?”

“They all died. The adventurers’ guild got suddenly attacked by him—everyone got taken out. I was the only one who managed to fake being dead with recovery magic.”

Nia muttered, her body covered in wounds.

Looking closer, her fingertips and knees were trembling.

She had probably already fought him… Nia and the town’s adventurers must have lost to Oldelan alone.

“Ehehe, but don’t worry, okay~? …I’ll definitely let you escape. I’ll protect you no matter what, at least you.”

“Nia…”

…

Wait. What am I feeling relieved for?

If Nia bought time, I might be able to run—I had seriously been calculating that.

…It makes me sick.

Even at a time like this, how small I am, trying to scheme my way out.

What I want is peace.

If I abandon Nia, abandon my friend, leave her to die and run, I might actually get that peace.

Neil, my students, the nice people in town, the town I’d lived in until now.

If I run and leave the bastard who took all that away, maybe peace would be mine.

Is that okay?

“Licht… it’s fine, it’ll be okay. I’ll definitely protect you.”

Nia’s fingertips were shaking finely. Her slender knees were trembling too.

Leave this girl behind and survive…?

Leave behind the friend I made in this world?

Sacrifice the girl who’s trying to protect me?

“—No way.”

“!! Licht, get behind me!!”

“Done with the small talk already!! You brats! Just die for now!”

Oldelan fired his huge gun.

Nia tried to catch the bullet with her magic-covered arm—

No, that won’t work.

“—I, one who follows the guidance of blood and reaches the evil dragon. Now, let us devour the gods together.”

“”Huh??”

Both Nia and Oldelan froze for a second with their eyes wide open.

The [Bloody Arrow] I fired from my fingertip clashed with the bullet Oldelan shot, sucking it in, and both exploded.

“…Wait, you… what did you do?”

“…Father Oldelan’s silver-blood bullets ignore magic defenses. And—”

“Hey, answer me, kid, you just—”

Shuururururu.

The shattered silver-blood bullet that had fallen to the ground was still writhing, covered in my red blood.

“It attracts blood magic.”

“What the hell did you do!!! How did you block the silver-blood bullet!!!”

BAGOON!

The gun fired again. I shot another [Bloody Arrow] the same way.

I didn’t even need to aim.

Like magnets pulling together, the bullet and arrow slammed into each other.

“—Don’t tell me you’re using the property of the silver-blood bullets? The bullets that track living blood… like missile flares… Hey, that info shouldn’t even exist in this era! Who the hell are you!!??”

Oldelan yelled loudly.

“Nia, I’ll stop his bullets, so you—”

“Licht, you could use magic?”

Crap. I hadn’t explained to Nia.

Choose your words, choose your words.

Men in this world can’t use magic. I have to cover it up well.

That was when it happened.

Neil’s corpse, Robo’s collar, that comic that would never be finished.

Right now, none of it mattered anymore. It didn’t matter if it got exposed.

The words came out on their own. My mouth—

“—Sorry, I was hiding it, but that’s exactly why I can fight too…!”

It wouldn’t stop now.

If I couldn’t run, I had no choice but to fight.

The threat forcing unreasonableness on me could only be removed in the end.

“Nia, I’ll protect you, so fight with me.”

“—”

Every expression vanished from Nia’s face.

In this world, men can’t use magic.

Someone like me, an heretic, would surely not be accepted.

“Huh?”

With her hair still undone, Nia hugged me at a speed my eyes couldn’t follow.

She stared at me with sharp eyes I’d never seen before.

“I’m definitely making you my husband, I’ve decided it.”

“…Huh?”

“Are you crying? Who made you cry? The one who put that sad look on my Licht’s face—ah, it’s him, huh.”

Nia slowly turned her gaze toward Oldelan.

Whoosh, a blue moonlight-like glow started leaking from Nia’s body.

“…You, those eyes, that magic power… ugh, gross. …Descendant of the demons.”

“I’m going to kill you right now.”

Nia charged at Oldelan with insane speed.

◇◇◇◇

I thought I was going to die here.

My friends and the town had been killed, and I thought I’d die without being able to do anything.

Die without achieving anything I wanted or any of my dreams.

I thought that was my fated death.

But there was still something I had to do.

To protect Licht and die. Women have to protect men—that’s why we were born stronger than men.

But. Ah. You really…

‘Nia, I’ll protect you, so fight with me.’

—!! …

A wave almost spilled out, a sob rose up, and the back of my nose stung.

I told him to run, that I’d buy time.

Licht was protecting me. I was being protected by Licht.

The kind of person so many girls had wished for but could never get was now standing behind me, protecting me.

Mom, are you watching?

Mom, look at my childhood friend.

There’s a guy like this, you know? Even when his own life is in danger, he’ll fight together with a girl.

My instincts whisper that you won’t find another man like this anywhere in the world.

Even if it costs my life—protect him to the end.

Immortal? Priest?

A monster stronger than me?

Who cares.

“If you get in our way, I’ll kill you.”

I swung my sword at the immortal.