Chapter 183 Rhapsody of Glory ⑥
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Day 68 of the Test. Early Morning. 4th Floor Monster House.
Guild: ‘The Upstart Federation.’
Party: ‘Crimson Lotus Samurai.’
Leader: Koyama Sanjuro.
I stared down the mob of thirty charging toward us, led by Mimura. I focused every drop of my Mana Capacity¹ into my palms, desperate to manifest an Earth Wall².
But Mimura was too fast. He was on me before the spell could take shape. I aborted the cast, braced my feet, and threw my weight behind my greatshield. An instant later, his black hand-axe came whistling down in a massive arc.
”Raaah! You beggars just don’t know when to die!” Mimura roared.
”Guh-!?” I gasped.
Shock rumbled through my marrow. To my horror, Mimura’s axe didn’t just dent the shield-it sheared right through the heavy iron. I watched the black blade sprout through the back of the rim, inches from my face.
”Hahaha! Iron? You think iron stops Black Iron? Give me those ears! Give me those arms! Give me everything!” Mimura laughed.
”Guph!” I groaned as his boot slammed into my gut. The force of the kick sent me reeling, allowing him to wrench his axe free and wind up for a finishing blow.
Thwack!
An arrow hissed through the air, burying itself in Mimura’s gauntlet. There was only one man in our guild with that kind of aim. Nezu-chi-degozaru³. Nice-degozaru!
”Tch! What are you lot doing?!” Mimura snarled, stepping back to avoid the follow-up volley. “We’ve got the numbers! Crush them already!”
”Dammit! These guys are tougher than they look!” one attacker shouted.
”Are these really the same shut-ins we heard about?!” another cried.
The sounds of a desperate melee broke out all around me. My brothers were holding the line, but the weight of thirty men was beginning to tell. I tried to pivot, looking to support a shield-brother who was being double-teamed nearby. Suddenly, a searing pain flashed across my face. Something invisible had opened my cheek.
”Gah…!” I hissed, jerking my shield back into position. I scanned the backline and found him. Manda. He stood at the rear of the mob, a smug grin plastered on his face as his hand trailed through the air.
A Wind Cutter. I felt the warm pulse of blood down my neck. The gash was deep. Fortunately, the Potion I’d downed earlier was still circulating; the wound began to knit almost as soon as it opened.
”Eyes on me, Noble Sir!” Mimura taunted.
He didn’t go for a heavy swing this time. Instead, he unleashed a blurred flurry of short, brutal chops-degozaru. My shield was being reduced to scrap metal. With my right arm dead and useless, I couldn’t counter with my sword. I was a punching bag. A wall waiting to fall.
”My leg! They got my leg!” an ally screamed.
”Aghhh!”
”Tank’s down! Pull him back! Swordsmen, fill that gap!”
”Magic incoming! Someone counter-spell, now!”
”There’s too many of them!”
”I’m dry! Mana’s gone! I’m going in with steel!”
The cries of my comrades were a chorus of agony. Surprise, exhaustion, and overwhelming numbers-it was a recipe for a massacre. And the worst of them-Manda, Murakami, and Hotta-were still fresh, hovering in the rear with their casters-degozaru.
My shield gave a final, sickening groan.
”Look at that,” Mimura sneered. “Your precious wall is junk. Time to pay the piper, Sir Beggar. You ready to settle the bill?”
”What is there to settle-degozaru?!” I spat back. “This is nothing but a petty grudge! We did what anyone would do-we defended ourselves-degozaru!”
”I don’t give a damn! You looked down on us. You should have just stayed in the dirt and let us harvest you, but no-you had to act tough. You had to fight back. Fine. I’ll break you until you don’t even remember how to hold a sword!” Mimura vowed.
”GAHHH!” I cried out.
With a roar of pure malice, Mimura brought the axe down. It sheared off the top third of my shield and buried itself deep into my left shoulder.
”Hahaha! I’m taking the whole arm! Don’t worry-once you’re our slave, maybe we’ll buy you a high-grade Potion to grow it back. If you’re a good little boy!” Mimura cackled.
”Guaaaaaaagh!” I shrieked.
He leaned into the handle, driving the blade deeper. The white-hot agony was blinding. I felt the bone grate. He was going to butcher me right here. Through the haze of pain, I looked past Mimura. I saw Manda. He was laughing at me.
The humiliation stung worse than the axe. To be toyed with by these animals… I would not give them the satisfaction. Even if he took my arm, I would never kneel-degozaru. I glared at Manda with every ounce of hatred I possessed.
And then, Manda’s laughter stopped. A black knife was suddenly protruding from his throat.
”Eh…?” Manda gurgled.
Manda’s eyes went wide. He clutched at the steel in his neck, choking as he spun around to find his killer. I followed his gaze toward the cavern ceiling. Perched atop a kunai embedded high in the rock wall stood a figure. A man with bronze skin, clad in midnight-black shinobi gear. His arms were crossed over his chest.
Who was this-degozaru? Then I saw them. Horns protruding from the gaps in his cowl. An Ogre? But why was an Ogre dressed as a ninja?
”Mimura! Seiji’s hit! Get back here!” Murakami screamed.
”What?! Seiji!” Mimura yelled.
The scream broke Mimura’s focus. He wrenched the axe from my shoulder-a fresh jolt of agony-and scrambled back toward the rear. The Ogre Ninja didn’t let them breathe. He flashed a predatory grin, leapt from his perch, and his hands blurred into a sequence of signs.
”Gyaton-jutsu⁴!”
A torrential wave of fire erupted from his mouth. It wasn’t just a spell; it was a localized sun. Manda, the men trying to heal him, and the casters nearby were instantly swallowed by the inferno.
”GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
They weren’t just hit; they were ignited. Five men became screaming pillars of fire, lighting up the dark cavern with the smell of burning cloth and flesh.
A Ninja-degozaru! A real, honest-to-god Ninja-degozaru!
”S-Seiji! It’s a monster! An Ogre! Kill it!” Mimura shrieked.
The Ninja didn’t even seem to move. He simply was not there, and then he was-flickering past Mimura like a shadow cast by a dying candle.
”Guh… aagghh! MY HAND!” Mimura wailed.
Mimura’s right hand-still clutching the black axe-was lying on the stone floor. He stared at the stump in shock before collapsing, clutching the wound as blood sprayed the rocks. I blinked, and the Ninja was already airborne again, vaulting over my head toward the rest of the Glory mob.
”Gyaton-jutsu!”
Another roar of fire. Another wall of screaming men.
”It burns! God, help me!”
”My face! I can’t see!”
”It’s a demon! Run! Just run!”
”So fast… I can’t-agh!”
”My legs! He cut my legs!”
The Ninja was a whirlwind. He drew a weighted chain-sickle⁵ and tore through the ranks. He moved with a lethal, terrifying grace, reaping the Glory guild members like wheat. Not a single strike touched my men. He was surgical-degozaru.
Our eyes met for a split second. The Ogre Ninja jerked his chin toward the main tunnel.
Go.
He was saving us. Why? How? And then it hit me. The timing. The protection. This… this had to be a familiar belonging to The Guard-degozaru.
I gave a sharp nod. The Ninja nodded back and vanished into the smoke-degozaru.
”Withdraw! Now, while they’re broken-degozaru! If you can’t walk, use your Medal of Return⁶! Everyone else, on me-degozaru!”
”Follow Sanjuro! Move it!”
We scrambled. My brothers leapt over the charred and twitching bodies of the men who had just been trying to enslave us. The Glory survivors were in a state of total collapse. Mimura was being dragged away by a few terrified lackeys, his golden dreams bled out on the floor.
Pulses of light filled the room as the Medals of Return activated, whisking the worst of our wounded to safety. Sone threw a quick bind around my mangled shoulder. I picked up what was left of my shield and led the way out. As we ran, I passed the remains of Manda and Murakami. They were unrecognizable-blackened husks-degozaru.
If you curse a man, you dig two graves.
They had come for our lives, and they had found their own ends instead. I felt a bitter tang in my throat, but I didn’t look back. We disappeared into the dark, leaving the rhapsody of their screams behind.
—
Summary:
Sanjuro’s party is cornered by Mimura’s superior numbers in a Monster House. Just as Mimura is about to sever Sanjuro’s arm, a mysterious Ogre Ninja arrives and decimates the aggressors with fire and speed. Sanjuro’s group escapes using Medals of Return while their enemies are burned or slaughtered.
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Trivia:
- Sanjuro is currently fighting with a disabled right arm before the injury to his left shoulder.
- Mimura’s weapon is specifically ‘Black Iron’, which is superior to standard iron shields.
- The Ninja’s ‘Gyaton-jutsu’ is a phonetic wordplay on ‘Katon’ (Fire Style).
- Manda and Murakami are explicitly confirmed dead (blackened husks)
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Character Insight:
Sanjuro shows extreme mental fortitude, refusing to yield even when facing permanent disfigurement. The arrival of the Ninja hints at ‘The Guard’s’ secret influence and protective reach over certain testers.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author leans heavily into ‘shonen’ tropes here, using the ninja’s entrance as a classic ‘hype’ moment to resolve a hopeless situation.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Sanjuro – A 3rd‑year Animation Department student and the underdogs’ de facto frontliner, Sanjuro masks his fear with grand speeches and humor, leading his group through dungeon nights with reckless courage and nerdy flair.
• Koyama – Koyama Sanjuro. A 3rd‑year Animation Department student and the underdogs’ de facto frontliner, Sanjuro masks his fear with grand speeches and humor, leading his group through dungeon nights with reckless courage and nerdy flair.
• Mimura – Seiji’s accomplice, proposes the ‘monster train’ strategy.
• Nezu – A pragmatic 3rd‑year Animation Department student and the underdogs’ rear guard, Nezu serves as the group’s archer and strategist, balancing his cautious nature with determined effort born from countless early‑morning practices.
• Murakami – A core member of Manda/Seiji (Soccer Coach)’s guild. He is missing a thumb and an ear from a previous incident with the Guard. He seeks violent revenge.
• Seiji – Former professional soccer striker who played for overseas clubs a decade ago. Divorced with children. Currently working as a teacher/coach in the dungeon. 32 years old.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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