I chase after the insects flying ahead of me while trying to kill any
presence.
I'm doing my best to
kill any presence, but the sound of my clothes and footsteps echoes in the dark
hallway. All those sounds are coming from me.
Rikka, on the other
hand, is completely quiet.
I'm dragging Rikka
down, aren't I?
Rikka reacted with a
twitch, and glanced at me.
――There is a noise coming from ahead. The distance is about thirty
meters. Since you can't hear anything from behind, Master, please walk slightly
behind.
Rikka speaks to me
in her mind.
I nodded my head,
slowed my pace, and walked behind Rikka.
About thirty meters
away.
If I focus all my
abilities on one point, it's just barely within range. However, if I
concentrate my ability on one point, I will not be able to keep an eye on my
surroundings.
Since Rikka is
nearby, it would be wise to approach the enemy while maintaining my
"eye" in all directions.
That being said,
Marina, leave those two idiots alone and help me out here.
Even with my
ability, I can "see" minds to a certain extent, but when I try to see
it, I get distracted of it.
If my mind is
distracted, it will create an opening and delay my initial response in case of
emergency.
Even if it's just
that, I'm dragging Rikka down. That's why I want to concentrate on my
"eye".
Besides, my ability
is one-way, unlike Marina's "Denshin". I can see into Rikka's mind,
but she can't read my mind.
I walked down the
corridor for a while and I saw people within the range of my ability.
There were three of
them. All of them are men.
After a few more
meters, the person I was looking for was caught within the range of my ability.
It was Yukina. It
seems that she is safe.
But the uniform
she's wearing is torn in places, and her exposed skin is bruised.
It looks like she
was beaten up a bit, but as far as I can tell, her injuries are not
life-threatening.
And――
Yukina is
confronting the three men. Behind Yukina, a girl is lying on the ground.
A girl with gray
hair. It's the beastman.
"......"
The beastman heart
is not beating.
It seems that it was
too late for the beastman.
But it's strange.
The beastman is lying on the ground, but there are no obvious external
injuries. I checked her body and found no abnormalities.
Could it be that she
was startled by the attack and had a heart attack?
Or does one of the
three men have that kind of ability?
If that's the case,
it's dangerous to approach them carelessly.
But then, why is
Yukina able to fight?
What is this strange
feeling?
".......N?"
The chill in the air
struck my whole body, and I no longer cared about the beastmen.
The three men and
Yukina are in the gymnasium. I found a girl's figure near the ceiling.
With a short stick
in her mouth, she was caught in the steel frame, shaking and trembling.
It was Loli Hina.
"Oh, that idiot."
I don't know how she
climbed up to the ceiling of the gymnasium, but since she has a short stick in
her mouth, she must be trying to fight the enemy.
Moreover, there is a
high probability that she "saw" the enemy using their extraordinary
power to attack Yukina.
That's why she acted
so stupidly, thinking that she could compete with them with a straightforward
attack.
That idiot is going
to jump off the ceiling and attack the enemy.
It was reckless.
There was no way she could succeed in such a plan. She would die in vain. I can
only think of her as an idiot.
She clung to the
steel frame near the ceiling of the gymnasium, crying her eyes out, shaking and
pissing her pants.
She was so scared,
but that idiot was going to jump.
"Ah, Asahina's younger sister, that
idiot......."
I smirked as I
muttered to myself, letting out a sigh as I looked at her.
Loli Hina is
weak-minded and timid, but she is still Asahina's sister.
I can't help but
think she's an idiot, but she's pretty funny.
"Rikka!"
I called out to
Rikka and tried to run tobarriers the gym.
But――
"......So that's what
happened."
I thought that
Marina was being pushed around by two idiots, but it seems that I was wrong.
The three men were
looking up in surprise. Above their heads is a rotating golden circle.
That's the circle
that appears when Yuka invokes her Mantra. The fact that it appeared there
means that.......
――Since the enemy was within the range of Suzuhara's ability, I
connected the "Denshin" to the enemy through Suzuhara's eyes and
asked Yuka to use the mantra. It seemed to work.
Marina's voice
echoed in my brain.
I don't know, if you
can do it, just tell me first.
I complained inwardly
with a sigh and checked on the men.
The men were
standing there dumbfounded.
They must have used
the mantra on Loli Hina. She grabbed onto the steel frame tightly and seemed to
have stopped trying to "jump".
This is the first
time we've used a limited mantra attack, combining the abilities of Marina,
Yuka and myself.
Marina's
"Denshin" has the disadvantage that it can only be used once she has
"seen" her opponent. My eyes can make up for that shortcoming.
However, I am weak. But I have to get close until the target is within the
effective range of my ability. Rikka's existence solves that risk.
But it's not so
easy.
――It doesn't matter if it's quick. If we can win without fighting,
that's the best.
You're absolutely
right.
That being said,
what happened to Asahina and Hizuki?
――.......
When I asked Marina
in my mind, I felt as if she had pulled away.
Don't ask it.
That's what she
seemed to be saying silently.
Well, what the heck.
I'll take your word for it.
Arriving at the gym,
I went to Yukina's side and asked Rikka to capture Loli Hina.
In an instant, Rikka
climbed up to the ceiling, grabbed Loli Hina clinging to the steel frame with
one hand, and came down in an instant.
For a "normal
person", it would be extremely difficult to climb up and down. And if they
fall, there is a high possibility that they will die.
Compared to Rikka, I
know how vulnerable a "mere human" being is.
And I'm one of those
"mere human".
"She seems to be conscious, but she
doesn't seem to be aware of her surroundings."
Rikka, who came up
to me with Loli Hina by her side, looked up at me and spoke up.
――It's the influence of the mantra. I'll leave her to you until she
joins us, because she might go berserk if she comes back to her senses.
Marina's voice
seemed to have been heard by Rikka, who nodded.
"Did you use the mantra on Yukina
too?"
She raised her voice
as I looked at Yukina lying on the floor.
――Yes.
Marina answered my
question.
She doesn't seem to
have been fatally wounded, but she must have fought very hard. Her uniform is
tattered and her skin is covered with bruises and abrasions.
――I tried to read the minds of the three men, but it's a little
strange.
Strange?
――Yes. They seem to think that Alice is dead.
What? What do you
mean?
――It seems that the enemy already knows about the last incident. It
seems that the man who has been killed by Nanafushi has already killed Alice
and Tamamushi. And the man and the three beastmen are also supposed to have
died on the spot. In other words, they're supposed to have fought each other.
Mutual strike? What
the heck.
If that incident is
already known, how can they come to the conclusion that Alice and Tamamushi
died together when there are no dead bodies at the scene?
In the first place,
if I look at the corpses of the man and the beastman, I can easily see that
they were killed unilaterally due to the overwhelming difference in strength.
No, there are many
strange things when I think about it.
The last time this
happened, there was a very sophisticated barrier system in place. On the other
hand, the forces that were deployed were garbage.
I thought it was
because they had absolute confidence in their barriers, but what if that wasn't
the case?
What's more, even
though the enemy already knew about the previous incident, the information
circulating was a hoax. And the forces deployed this time are just as garbage
as last time.
――I have a bad feeling about this. Please withdraw immediately.
I agree. Something's
wrong. Besides, we've done our job. I'm retreating immediately.
"Rikka, retreat immediately――"
In the middle of
asking Rikka, I "see" an unbelievable scene and turned around with
great vigor.
"That's ridiculous......."
The girl with gray
hair stood up slowly.
The "dead"
beastman girl stood up, as she should have.
No, it's not
"supposed" to be dead. I'm sure she's still dead.
――Suzuhara-san!
Marina's scream-like
voice echoed in my brain.
What do you mean?
Why is the body moving?
Marina, are you sure
that the three men are incapacitated?
――I'm sure of it! They've been incapacitated by Yuka-san's mantra!
If that's the case,
why is the body moving? Is there someone else with the ability?
If it's not trapped
by my ability, then it's a remote control type of ability.
I focused my
attention on the gray-haired girl and examined every part of her body.
"There it is."
I "see" a
very small blue dot near the girl's heart.
It was similar to
Tamamushi's emerald insect energy. But other than the small dot, I couldn't
find anything else.
I'm pretty sure it's
a remote-control ability, but there's too little information.
"I'll eliminate it."
Rikka quietly
shouted with her right hand behind her back, pulled out a huge knife and
prepared herself.
"Wait, don't move."
I stopped Rikka from
eliminating the girl who was supposed to be dead.
Alarm bells are
ringing inside me.
Run.
Run now!
That's what I'm
screaming.
We should run away
from here.
――Suzuhara-san! It's Nanafushi-chan! I'm not sure I can explain it
well! Please talk to me directly!
Marina's screaming
voice echoed in my brain, and then...
――Anyway, please retreat! There are people with the ability to use
corpses! It's called a necromancer!
Nanafushi's voice
echoed in my brain on behalf of Marina.
――It's not a very threatening ability, but there is one Necromancer in
the world. If it's that Necromancer, you're in trouble! Anyway, please retreat!
Oh, come on, how
scared can a Nanafushi be?
Or, if it is the
worst opponent, is it possible to escape?
"Nanafushi. It's been a
while."
A strange voice
echoed in the gym. It's not that I don't like it, but I do.
And the source of
that voice was――
"My name is Zeon, and I am a humble
necromancer."
The girl who was
supposed to be dead looked at me with lifeless eyes and smirked.
"I am an old friend of Kudan and
Makiri."
The girl's voice
didn't sound like a girl's, and there was a strange sound that echoed through
the air.
A wriggling black
creature covered the floor and walls of the gym.
It's an insects.
It's a tremendous number of insects.
What's more――
"All of them are dead
insects......"
How many of them are
there? Carcasses of dead insects that cover the floor, walls and even the
ceiling.
A large number of
insects that should have ceased their life activities are moving as if they
were alive.
This was definitely
a bad idea.
Tamamushi had said
that its limit was to control three insects at the same time. But now that her
power has been boosted, she should be able to control more insects than before.
However, I'm not sure if she can control ten insects at the same time.
In contrast, the
number of dead insects that the necromancer can control is too different.
――Suzuhara-san! Tamamushi-chan and Nanafushi-chan are heading your
way! If retreating is impossible, please somehow survive until they arrive!
What!? What do you
mean, "Tamamushi and Nanafushi are heading this way"!?
You idiot! Tell them
to turn around now! The enemy has remote control abilities! They're
remote-controlled, and their abilities are too powerful!
"You're right. It's a bad idea to
split up your forces."
The gray-haired girl
then smirked.
――Oh no! Insects! So many insects!
Marina!
There was no reply
when I called out to her.
She must have been
attacked by dead insects.
That sucks. I don't
know where the main body of the enemy is. And if the enemy is a corpse, neither
the mantra nor the spirit will make any sense.
I didn't think he
could attack this place and Tamamushi's house at the same time.
Moreover, Tamamushi
and Nanafushi, the only two things that could stand against the necromancer,
had left Marina and Yuka's side.
Rikka is standing in
front of me, holding a huge knife, sweat running down her cheeks.
This is not an
opponent that can be dealt with by physical strength. It's an overwhelming
violence of numbers. And all the enemies are dead.
"Why didn't you attack us right
away?"
I put my hand on
Rikka's shoulder to deter her from taking a reckless gamble, and asked the
gray-haired girl.
"Kudan's idiot told me that there
was an interesting guy. She said that there was an interesting guy. So I had to
take a look."
The gray-haired girl
replied with a smirk on her face.
So, this is the one
who set up the last incident. And this time, too.
It means that we
were being played.
But it's not over
yet.
I'm sure Kazehana is
still out there. Even if she can't fight the mass of dead insects, she should
at least be able to escape with Marina and Yuka.
I lost communication
with Marina, but I can only hope that she is still alive.
"I said Suzuhara. I have something
to say to you."
A gray-haired girl
with a thin smile on her bloodless face. With that voice, the three men who
were standing there dumbfounded were covered in insects. And in an instant,
they collapsed.
The girl smirked.
She was probably
threatening is that if we turned on her, we would end up like those men in an
instant.
"Suzuhara, I want you to die here.
I'll help your "friends" if you die here."
The necromancer
smirked and offered a condition.
If I die here,
you'll help my friends?
I'll be damned. The
situation is completely deadlocked. But there is no guarantee that Marina and
the others will be saved even if I accept the conditions that the necromancer
offers.
If there's a
guarantee, I'll die for them, but if there's no guarantee, I can't die.
I have to find a way
to get out of this predicament somehow.
But as expected,
this situation is......
No, she's here.
There is someone who has the potential to break through this situation. And
she's on her way here.
I don't know when
she's going to get here, but we have to buy her time somehow until she gets
here.
"I don't trust your word. That's
why I can't die here and now."
With that, I stepped
forward in front of Rikka.
"Master!"
Rikka raised her
voice. I pointed my right hand at her to restrain her.
It is not an opponent
that can be won with the current strength. And the other party offered a
condition. In other words, they are trying to play with us. Then I might be
able to buy some time.
"If you don't want to die, I'll
just kill you and everyone else, is that okay with you?"
The necromancer
raises his voice and tilts his head while chuckling happily.
Looking at the
Necromancer, I grinned and opened my hands.
"I'll give you both my hands and
feet right here and now. I'll have Rikka here cut off my hands and feet. In
exchange, you will get rid of the dead insects. And once my friends are safe,
I'll give you my life. How's that sound?"
Hearing my words,
Rikka shivered and clenched her teeth tightly.
Rikka, please bear
with me. Even if you fight now, you will only die in vain.
"Hmm."
Hearing my
conditions, the necromancer raised his voice with his hand on his chin and
laughed uncontrollably.
I beg you. Get in.
It's time. We have to buy time.
"Rejected. Die now."
That was the answer
the necromancer gave.
You son of a bitch.
It's a dead end.
Then I'll have to
accept your terms.
"All right. I'll die right
now."
When I answered
that, the necromancer smiled.
_________________________
Edited by Kanaa-senpai
Thanks for reading..
