“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...? - 18-19

Chapter 18: Clench Your Teeth!

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The greatsword dragged along the ground, sparking violently. Before Wurfe could even finish raising his shield, I slipped into close range and swung the blade upward with enough force to tear up the earth.

CLANGGGGG!!

A brutal clash of iron against iron. Wurfe’s incomplete guard crumbled all too easily, unable to absorb the shock. He was blown away like a ragdoll. I quickly regained my stance, picked up speed, and closed the distance to Wurfe as he was flung back. Seizing the opening, I delivered a blow that struck through his armor.

“Damn it!”

Wurfe’s eyes gleamed sharply as he launched a reflexive counterattack. It was faster than before, but no matter how quick the move, if the trajectory was obvious, it was actually harder to get hit. I lured him in until the last second, forced him to miss, and then hammered in a flurry of follow-up strikes.

“Guh…! Gah…!”

Even with buff magic enhancing him, Wurfe’s defense was hardly worthy of the name—he was just holding the shield between us. Without giving him time to think, I followed up with a charged kick that sank into his solar plexus.

“Hey… Isn’t this battle getting a little too one-sided…? That’s the leader of the Ordoll party, right? He hasn’t even landed a hit…”

“If that’s all he’s got with a buff, then he’s not much different from the rest of us. You’re telling me he actually came back alive from Niflheim with that skill?”

Hearing the bystander adventurers—now fully reduced to spectators—chatting freely among themselves, a vein bulged on Wurfe’s forehead.

“Those useless nobodies are talking like they know anything…!”

“If you’ve got time to glance away, how about landing at least one hit then?”

I swung my sword again. One strike, then another, keeping him pinned behind his shield. But then Wurfe, who had been focused purely on defense, suddenly staggered at the knees.

Now’s my chance…

A perfect opportunity to go on the offensive. I tightened my grip on the hilt, hoisted my greatsword, and stepped forward.

“—Ha! Got you! Here’s that one hit you’ve been asking for!”

The next moment, from what looked like a stumbling, faltering posture, Wurfe twisted his wrist and thrust his sword sharply toward my throat. Just as I suspected.

A stance that looked like he was about to fall over. An obvious opening that anyone would want to exploit. The exaggerated breathing, the shift in weight, the gaze—all of it told me Wurfe was putting on an act.

His aim was good. His speed was solid. If that had been a successful sneak attack, it might’ve been a real threat. But unfortunately for him, I’d dealt with more ambushes and cheap shots than I could count. My eyes were long since trained to see through them.

I pulled back a step from my compact approach, twisted my body, and locked onto the extended rapier. Then I brought down more than double its weight from above.

CRACK!

The blade flew from Wurfe’s hand and smashed against the ground. As its shattered fragments scattered in a final glitter, its purpose as a weapon ended there.

“No… No way…! That blade cost at least three million sert…! And you broke it with a single strike!?”

Wurfe stood frozen, clutching the now-bare hilt of his weapon, his eyes wide in disbelief.

“It’s about time you got some sleep. When you wake up, I expect a full explanation.”

“W-Wait, calm down! If you hit me with that, I’m going to sleep forever—!”

“I’ll hold back. Just shut up and take it—!”

I swung the greatsword down at Wurfe, who was so shaken he couldn’t even defend himself—but the blade was deflected just centimeters before it could strike his armor.

“—Sera Difelia.”

Before Wurfe, a glowing light took crystalline form, becoming a radiant shield that stood between us.

“…Hah! Hahahahaha! Not even you can break through the divine protection of Eishia’s magic, blessed by the gods! Nice! Well done, Eishia!”

“…Yeah, it’s tough. Way stronger than before.”

Previously, a single hit from me would’ve at least cracked it. And I’d definitely grown stronger since then. Yet now, it blocked my blow completely, without a scratch…

“You’ve gotten stronger, Eishia. But still—”

I swung my sword again. Even if it got deflected, I swung it again.

“No matter how many times you try, it’s useless! Eishia’s defense can withstand even a dragon’s strike! No matter how often you hit it—!”

CRRKK!

“Oh, it’s working.”

“Huh!? Y-You’ve got to be kidding me! Eishia! Don’t hold back—put more magic into it!”

“Kh…!”

Eishia wore a pained expression but did as Wurfe demanded, pouring more magic into the shield. The golden shield shone even brighter and blocked my path. But it wasn’t truly invincible. If I hit the exact same spot—ten times, twenty times, thirty times—it would eventually break.

“Back in Niflheim, everyone’s defense was like stone. I’ve gotta go this far or it doesn’t count as punishment.”

By the time I’d repeated my strikes around fifty times, cracks spread across the entire shield. By around eighty, it shattered completely.

“Now, clench your teeth. You’ve got armor on, so you can take a good hit, right?”

With nothing left in the way, I aimed for Wurfe’s chest and drew my sword back, ready to strike all the way through.

“Wait! Calm down! We can talk this out—!”

BAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!!!

“—GBOHAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!???”

With a dull, crushing impact, Wurfe’s body soared into the air. He traced a beautiful arc as he flew, plowed through the cobblestones, and rolled violently for over ten meters. Then, kicking up a cloud of earth, he was launched high into the air again—until finally, he crashed headfirst into a stack of wooden crates by the roadside, sending splinters flying before collapsing in a heap.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 19: Dominating

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Gah…! Hah… hah… cough…”

When he poked his head out from the pile of collapsed crates, the cloud of dust kicked up and clogged his lungs. The armor that had taken the direct hit crackled audibly and began to crumble, as if loudly declaring it had reached its limit.

Impossible…!? There’s this much of a gap between me and Athos…!? Where… where did it all go wrong…!?

His arm trembled as it pressed into the debris beneath him. Was his hand trembling from pain, or fear? As he steadied his wavering vision and stared straight ahead, he saw Athos standing perfectly still. That last blow, a strike that made him feel the certainty of death, and that commanding presence… He had changed drastically from the disposable grunt he used to be in battle.

That’s not… That’s not the Athos I knew…!

Panting heavily through his shoulders, he reached out with a trembling hand and clawed at the ground. His ribs creaked, and his murky, unsteady vision amplified his growing sense of dread—when suddenly, a voice rang out from the distance.

“You’re holding up pretty well, thanks to Eishia’s enhancement. I’m glad.”

Athos approached, carrying his greatsword over his shoulder and wearing a calm smile. His attitude, as if addressing a helpless infant, shattered the last of Wurfe’s pride as a swordsman.

Not that he could have resisted anyway—his sword and shield had been blown away by that last hit, and the damage to his internal organs made it feel like his inside had been turned to pulp. Feeling cold sweat trickle down, he screamed out to erase everything else.

“Damn it!!! Eishia, healing magic! Cast healing magic—!”

“…Athos-san…? Huh? Athos-san died and became the Demon Lord… But I don’t feel any trace of a monster’s aura… Wait, what…?”

“-!?”

He realized something was wrong with Eishia. He immediately pulled out the Illusion Orb, Nezaria Orb, that he had kept hidden. The crystal, which should have been safely protected in his pocket, had lost its spherical shape. Just like his armor, shards of it had scattered to the ground.

“…Wait, Athos? Then… Is that the usual Athos after all…? But this woman… sShe’s still a monster, right?”

“Uhh…?? Athos is… Athos the Demon Lord…? Why… Why is Athos the Demon Lord…?”

Tch! This is bad! Ripley, Midi, and even Eishia—the orb’s effect is clearly wearing off! Was it because of that last blow?! Did it damage the orb…!?

At this rate, all three of them would eventually return to their senses. If that happened, everything he’d said and done so far would fall apart under scrutiny—and once they started asking questions, it’d be over in a flash…!

In that case, I’ve got no choice but to crank the orb to full power and overwrite their perception completely…!

It had been said that using the orb at full output could even affect a person’s core identity—but there was no time to worry about that now. His entire life was on the line!

Sorry, you three! But this is what I have to do if I want to survive as a top-tier adventurer. You girls can still get hired as prostitutes even if your minds are shot, right? So just do your best and make a life for yourselves!

With zero hesitation, he poured every bit of magic power he had into the orb. Immediately, the Nezaria Orb, emitted a brilliant, blinding light from within his coat.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー