S-Rank Adventurer Betrayed by His Fiancée in the Hero’s Party Sets Off on a Journey to Heal His Broken Heart ~The Strongest Betrayed Adventurer Ends Up Forming a Harem Party~ - Chapter 61 & 62

Chapter 61: Reaching for the Sky [Elmie Side]

[Side: Pure-Hearted Sword Saint]

Screams echoed from all around.

Blood spilled on both sides, and the clash of battle rang through the air—it was nothing short of a war.

Right in the middle of that frozen sea, I ran alongside the twin sisters, cutting down magical beasts as we pushed forward.

“This is basically a stampede at this point!”

“More are coming! Seriously, this feels like an endless game of whack-a-mole…!”

“At least the monsters are fighting each other too, so it’s not completely overwhelming!”

“That’s the only good thing about this!”

It reminded me of the stampede we faced in Cahel about two weeks ago.

Well… this wasn’t quite as hellish as that.

Back then, even different species of magical beasts had banded together and marched as one.

But this time, they were also fighting among themselves.

“They want to live here, right? Of course they’d try to drive out anything that isn’t their own. Just like us.”

“Mou, why are they even trying to move here in the first place!? What was wrong with where they lived before!?”

“I think it’s because they can absorb the surrounding mana and grow stronger… something like that.”

“With Lady Crim releasing mana, the waters around Estena are basically prime real estate. Right, sis?”

In a way, this was just a “territory war”—one that humans had also joined.

Our goal was simple: make the monsters realize that “this place might be attractive, but it’s dangerous,” and keep them away.

But magical beasts were never that easy to deal with.

“Uwaaaah! It’s here! A Kraken!”

“That’s an A-rank ‘Flying Shark’! Dodge—aaahhh!!”

“A Fortress Whale just came flying in too! Run! We can’t handle that!!”

The Kraken we had fought before…
The massive Fortress Whale that controlled wind magic…
And the ‘Flying Shark,’ a monster that soared at high speed using fin-like wings.

One after another, these powerful beasts burst out from the holes in the ice and immediately began attacking the adventurers.

“They all showed up at once…! Wait, why aren’t the A-rank monsters fighting each other!?”

“Maybe they’re saving it for later, or avoiding fights with equals. Which means… we’re the ones they’re targeting, right?”

So they were clearing out the weaker ones first.

Strong monsters really were smart… and that made them a pain to deal with.

“Alright, let’s split up. Based on compatibility—Elmie takes the Kraken, Maria handles the Flying Shark, and I’ll deal with the Fortress Whale.”

“Yeah, that works.”

“But sis, are you sure you’ll be okay going solo? A-rank monsters are usually meant for full parties, you know.”

The ranking system assumed you’d fight monsters with a party of equal level.

Taking one on alone always came with risks.

“It’ll be fine. Even if I can’t finish it off, holding it back is enough—and besides, thanks to Ray’s training, we’ve all gotten a lot stronger.”

Frey casually rested her favorite halberd on her shoulder and stepped forward.

“And besides… if we want to keep up with Abel, we need to be able to take down something like this solo… right♪”

““—!!””

At Frey’s wink and those words, the joy of being able to stand beside Abel came rushing back, igniting our hearts.

That’s right.

To stand next to the one we loved…
To make sure Abel wouldn’t be alone!

“—Yeah. At the very least, we should be able to take down an A-rank quickly!”

“If it’s for staying with Abel, I can do anything! But sis, are you really sure? The Fortress Whale is probably the strongest of them, right?”

Maria asked teasingly, glancing at her sister.

Frey simply smiled.

“Leave it to me. I’m everyone’s big sister, after all!”

With that, she dashed straight ahead without hesitation.

“‘Big sister’… I mean, I trust her, but what does that even have to do with anything…?”

“Well, it’s her. I wasn’t worried to begin with.”

Maria shifted her weapon into a linked blade.

“We can’t afford to fall behind either, right?”

“Yeah. Time to show what all that training was for!”

We had grown stronger—

All to catch up to Abel!

Maria and I each prepared—magic, and our skills.

・　・　・　・　・

—“You rely too much on your skills. The Sword Saint’s abilities are powerful, but the burden is heavy. I’ll give you credit for having the stamina to spam them—but your efficiency is terrible.”

That was what Raynare pointed out after beating all three of us down in her usual brutal training.

—“You force your movements too much, so the strain on your legs is high. You’re not suited for long battles.”

She had pinpointed exactly what I’d been struggling with—

My stamina.

“—《Sword of Glory》…!”

I reinforced my entire body.

The Kraken—an A-rank monster with eight massive tentacles and water magic—was a tough opponent.

Before, we would have fought something like this as a party.

But now, I stepped straight into its range alone.

—“If you use the Healing Magic Abel taught you to reduce the damage on your legs, your mana consumption will increase. So what should you do…? Right—cut down on your attack skills.”

“One strike…! 《Severing Moon》!”

I unleashed a full-powered slash, tracing a crescent arc—

And sliced through one of the Kraken’s tentacles.

Normally, I would have followed up with another skill immediately.

But this time, I didn’t.

The moment I cut through, I used that momentum to leap forward—straight above the Kraken’s head.

—“By reducing attack skills, you conserve stamina and use the extra mana for recovery… Now then, here’s another suggestion.”

Jumping into midair without footing was basically suicide for me.

That’s why I had always kept my feet on the ground while fighting.

But now—

The magic Raynare taught me was about to change that.

—“Your greatest strength is your speed—the kind that lets you keep up even with Demonkin… so why not push it even further?”

Just as my momentum began to fade and I started to fall—

I stepped on the air.

“《Rebound》――――!”

In the next instant, I slipped into the Kraken’s blind spot and slammed in a slash.

“(———!!!)”

The Kraken’s body shuddered from the sudden strike.

I dashed past its side without slowing, carrying that momentum forward.

“Wide open! At this rate, I don’t even need skills!”

Its tentacles were thick, but with two clean swings, I could slice one clean in half.

I cut down two more, then used the Kraken’s massive body as a foothold to leap high into the air.

It fired water magic at me midair—

But by the time the water spears pierced where I had been, I was already gone.

“You don’t even know how you got cut… or how I dodged, right? That’s because—you can’t keep up with me!”

By then, I had already kicked off the air twice, circling behind it.

—“The fastest fighters I’ve seen could use the sky itself as their footing. If you learn to do the same, your speed will become an even greater weapon.”

The non-attribute magic Raynare taught me—《Rebound》.

A spell that created footholds in midair.

It was tricky to use, but its mana cost was low.

I was really glad I had trained with Abel—

Now I could use magic alongside my enhancement skills at the same time!

“It wasn’t a spell I’d ever heard of before, but… as expected of the Progenitor. Experience really does make a difference!”

No way I’d ever say that to her face, though.

Jumping into the air, using gravity to slow down and change direction mid-movement.

Since I could leap at natural angles, I didn’t lose speed—and the strain on my legs was reduced.

More than anything, fighting in three dimensions made it far easier to throw off my opponent!

“With the speed of a Sword Saint, and a battlefield that includes the sky—this is my new power!”

With this—

Maybe I could finally keep up with Abel, even in aerial combat…!

“《Immortal Slash》――!”

Holding onto that thought, I unleashed a massive slash straight at the Kraken.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Hey, it’s Sora Akatsuki—keeping things a bit shorter this time.

~Behind-the-scenes notes~

Aquatic monsters are usually rated higher because fighting them involves underwater combat, which is far more difficult.

For example, the legged tuna is registered as B-rank by the Guild, but on land, it would only be around C-rank.

Sometimes you’ll even see tuna running around on land—(if you can beat them), they’re basically ingredients running around on top of a hot pot.

A new favorite trope—high-mobility characters entering three-dimensional combat. It’s just so good…!

Also, I recently posted a side SS, “Millia’s Diary,” in the author notes.

It’s more of a small side-story piece.

For the first time, it’s supporter-only content—so if you’re interested, feel free to check it out.

Chapter 62: Red Dances Across the Sky [Raynare Side]

[Side: Dual-Wielding Progenitor]

Even compared to the chaos my disciples were causing on the frozen sea below, the sky where I stood was just as lively.

Mostly with the sound of air being sliced apart—and screams.

“Dahh, seriously! That hurts! And here I thought you were some insanely hot woman in that outfit!”

“Hmph. You’ve got no endurance, brat. I spent an entire night enjoying myself with Abel, you know.”

While watching Elmie and the others rampage below, I casually toyed with the fire dragon entrusted to me.

I was a bit worried about the buttons on my aloha shirt popping off from all the movement—

But the fight itself was completely one-sided.

“《Wire Blood》.”

I flicked my wrist, sending crimson threads flying toward the fire dragon soaring through the sky.

Accelerated by the snap of my wrist, the ultra-thin wires created enough friction to slice through human flesh with ease.

Well—

“Ow ow ow ow!! What is this stuff!? Threads!? Damn, you’re amazing—actually managing to hurt me with that!”

“Tch… lizards really do have pointlessly tough skin…”

“Hey, maybe it’s not pointless, you know? Like, down there is—whoa, that was close!”

Before he could keep rambling, I sent another thread straight at his face.

I’d been cutting him up this whole time, but the wounds healed instantly—no real damage.

That was the annoying part about dragons.

“Seriously… with women like you, the best way is to beat you down until you shut up, right!?”

With that shout, the flashy fire dragon suddenly accelerated unnaturally fast, closing the distance in an instant.

“Fast… is he boosting himself by releasing flames from his wings?”

So that’s why he’s even faster than normal flight…

Yeah, no way I’m dodging that.

He partially released his human form from Dragon Magic, turning his hands back into dragon claws, and swung down at me—

“Seriously!? Even that didn’t work!?”

“I told you—physical attacks don’t work on me.”

It passed right through.

He had been attacking over and over, but with my mist form, none of it could touch me.

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do!?”

“Figure it out yourself, idiot.”

“Man, that’s the first time anyone’s ever said that to me~ All the girls usually fall for my face right away.”

“Then I’ll carve that face of yours up a bit. It’ll give you some character.”

Scars are a man’s pride, after all.

I could leave a nice mark on that pretty face of his with my threads.

“A wound from the Progenitor is something you can brag about for life. …Well, if you survive.”

I sent a thread toward his left arm.

Instead of cutting, I wrapped it around and yanked—

Throwing the fire dragon slightly off balance.

“The basics of training start with a leash. There—got you now.”

“I’m the one getting leashed!? Well, I don’t hate the idea, but—!”

Gunnn!!!

Instead, I was yanked hard in return.

There was no beating a dragon in raw strength.

My body was pulled rapidly toward the fire dragon.

“You really think you can win with strength!? Alright then, I’ll grab you and start your training—”

“No need to win. I just need that strength.”

“Huh!?”

“Hah—take this…!”

Of course I’d already accounted for that.

Was this guy stupid or what?

Using the speed from being pulled in, I drove a knee straight toward his face.

“Crap—!?”

“Hey now, don’t dodge…? —You’re not getting away.”

With a faintly seductive smile, I spoke—

And wrapped my threads around his face as he tried to evade, yanking him right back in.

“There you go!”

“Guh—!?”

My knee, fully powered by that momentum, slammed straight into his nose.

“D-Damn that hurt…! What the hell are you doing to the most handsome guy of the younger generation!? Just doing whatever you want to me! I mean, I like a girl who takes initiative, but getting on top isn’t really my thing—”

“《Buster Blood》.”

“Gbuh—!?”

Taking advantage of the opening from that knee strike, I instantly formed a massive blood greatsword—

And brought it crashing down onto his head.

As the fire dragon lost his balance, I wrapped him up in threads and began circling around him with my own wings.

Spinning him so violently he couldn’t even tell up from down, I tightened and loosened the wires—

And followed up with a barrage of kicks.

It felt like a spider toying with its prey.

No deeper meaning to that, of course!

“There—there. Getting kicked by a beautiful woman is a reward for a man, isn’t it? Be grateful, pretty boy.”

“T-That’s just for some people! Not me—!?”

“Too bad you won’t get any more handsome, you lizard!”

No matter how much I beat him, he just kept healing instantly.

If it were any other man, his face would’ve been nicely swollen by now!

Well… scars didn’t just suit men—there was something appealing about a beautiful woman covered in wounds too.

“Now then—fall. 《Bunker Blood》!”

For the finisher, a massive hammer formed from blood slammed into his abdomen—

Carrying both rotational force and the full weight of the fall.

“Gwooooo—!!”

Letting out a strained roar, the fire dragon plummeted straight down into the frozen sea—

And crashed hard.

I definitely felt it break through his abdominal armor, but…

“…Haa. Well? If that did some decent damage, this’ll be easier.”

Resting the hammer on my shoulder, I let out a breath.

Even so, I wasn’t expecting much.

After all… the fact that he was still in human form instead of his dragon form made it obvious he was holding back.

“Kuh… haa… that actually hurt…!”

As expected.

He climbed back up from a hole in the ice, still steady on his feet.

“You’re pretty amazing, you know? Even if I’m just messing around in human form, it’s been a while since something’s hurt this much.”

“Hmph. That’s just because your kind is ridiculously tough. But even if you’re playing around, it’s not like you’re taking zero damage, right?”

“Well, yeah, pain is pain… but you know what? I think I’ve figured it out.”

His tone suddenly turned sticky.

His gaze crawled over my body as if trying to cling to it—

And then he…

“So, lady… you don’t really have a way to finish me off, do you? And you’re a vampire, right?”

“So what if I am? Even then, I won’t stop beating you until you’re crying.”

“Scary~! Nah, I think things change a lot depending on that, you know? I just remembered something.”

Looking up at me, he kept talking nonstop.

“There was this cute one I played with before—a vampire. Was she trying to drink my blood or something? Didn’t work, though.”

“…Oh? And?”

So even among my kind, there were those who fell for trash like this.

Pathetic.

I let him keep talking, more out of disbelief than interest.

“You see, I like doing it with human girls too. Feels good, you know? Break them, make them cry, play with them… Humans are great—there’s so many of them. Perfect for using up.”

“…Using up, you say?”

“Yeah. After I’ve had my fun with them—crush them. Neck, waist… snap. And that moment? Feels amazing.”

Laughing, he mimed twisting something in his hands.

“…Tch. Filth.”

In these past few days, I’d realized just how terrifying people thought the Progenitor (I) was.

But even so—I was normal.

I could sunbathe at a resort, shop at stores, chat casually with shopkeepers… even fall in love.

That was exactly why—

Hearing something so disgusting made me frown.

Those girls had their own responsibility for falling into his hands…

But that didn’t make it any less revolting to hear.

“And that vampire girl too—when I tried to crush her, she just kept healing over and over! When I asked, she said it was some kind of skill? That’s why she couldn’t die. You’re the same, right?”

“…So what if I am?”

“With her, I could enjoy it again and again—but I got bored. So in the end, I got creative.”

He slowly inhaled—

Then exhaled.

“—I burned her.”

In that instant—

My right arm was swallowed by flames from the shoulder down, burned away completely.

“…Tch.”

“Oh? Bullseye? Damn, I’m good!”

A breath attack.

The trump card of dragons—their ultimate move. Normally, it was powerful enough to reshape the land itself.

Even in human form, where its power was reduced, the flames had been compressed into something like a concentrated beam.

Thanks to 《Transformation》, there was no bleeding…

But the part caught in that heat—my right arm—wasn’t coming back.

…So he was still a dragon after all.

“That girl too—once I burned her, she couldn’t heal anymore. I’m guessing if the body gets destroyed or burned away, it can’t regenerate, right?”

My so-called immortality came from the regeneration granted by my Transformation skill.

Combined with the Progenitor’s ageless ability, it only looked like immortality.

In reality, I wasn’t truly immortal or indestructible—

So if part of my body was completely destroyed or erased, it couldn’t be restored.

“So basically… all I have to do is this, right?”

Grinning like filth, the bastard wrapped flames around his partially transformed dragon claws.

“Now every time I scratch you, you’ll burn away bit by bit~ Better give up before you die, yeah? You’re top-tier. I’ll enjoy you as many times as I want.”

With a sick, twisted smile,

The fire dragon—nothing more than a trashy brat with power he didn’t deserve—beat his wings and rose into the sky.