Chapter 89 The Accident at the Mineyama Group and the Enemy Assault
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Mineyama group camped uneasily inside the Birene Mine Tunnel. Though Mineyama was nominally their leader, her opinions were brushed aside—dismissed as merely “personal”—while the majority voted otherwise.
She tried to rest in her sleeping bag, though doubt gnawed at her. Was this really the right choice? Before long, she was asked to take a turn at watch.
”Idiot, Iwaya!”
Yukina Yuuki’s furious cry shattered the tense quiet. Mineyama bolted upright just as Yuuki, eyes brimming with tears, stormed into the girls’ tent.
”What happened, Yuuki?” asked Mineyama.
Yuuki’s voice broke as the truth tumbled out. Her boyfriend Iwaya—who never touched her—had instead been sneaking off to the Caesaran Empire’s capital to buy prostitutes.
”How cruel!” Mineyama’s anger flared at the betrayal of her friend’s trust.
”It’s fine… Sayumi… stupid, stupid, stupid! Idiot Iwaya!” Yuuki sobbed, burying her face in her sleeping bag.
But before anyone could comfort her, another voice ripped through the camp:
”Everyone, get up! Enemies!”
The entire group scrambled outside, grabbing weapons. From the rocky ledges, armored, bipedal, ant-like monsters were closing in from all directions.
”What? What are those?! Our reports never said—” Mineyama faltered, horrified by the unknown threat.
”Impossible!” “How did we miss so many?” “I don’t know!” her classmates shouted in panic.
But Takuma Sada, inspired by his obsession with Dark Knights, sneered. “What, are you cowards scared? Fine! You weaklings just hide behind me and shake!” He charged headlong at the swarm.
His arrogance sparked foolish bravado. Some of the boys puffed up in defiance:
”We—we’ll be fine! We leveled up today!”
”Yeah! We got stronger!”
”Up thirty levels even!”
Fueled by empty confidence, they too rushed into the fight.
”Wait—why are you all splitting up?”
”Ah! Someone’s stray magic arrow almost hit me!”
”Ow! Who shoved me?!”
The girls shrieked in frustration as friendly fire and disarray spread. Unlike the disciplined coordination Mineyama had maintained earlier, chaos consumed them.
Cursing her inadequacy, Mineyama forced herself to act. She steadied her breath and barked orders:
”Sakai, Imaizumi—don’t attack left! Focus right, where the boys aren’t! Mifune, Mr. Sasaki, support them!”
”Nakaoin, stop firing blindly from the rear—you’ll hit allies!”
”All ranged fighters, concentrate on one target at a time! Don’t let enemies flank the boys!”
Her clear commands slowly restored cohesion, but the tide did not turn. The armored ant-warriors surged endlessly, heedless of sacrifice.
”Damn it! They just keep coming! We’ll be ground down!”
”No idea how to stop them!”
Even so, Sada reveled in his own power. “Weak! Weak! Pathetic! None of you are worth a damn! Isn’t there anyone stronger out here?”
Though his classmates recoiled at his madness, his destructive strikes bought them precious moments.
”Too many! Retreat!” one boy cried. Finally, even those drawn into Sada’s reckless charge fell back, leaving him to cover their retreat.
* * *
The group fought desperately while retreating deeper.
”Damn! Which way is back?!”
Twice ambushed and repeatedly cut off, they had lost all sense of direction.
”This is the same passage as before! We’re running in circles!”
”What do we do?!”
Panic spread, and even Mineyama felt her grip on reason slipping. Think. Think! There has to be a way… But every plan seemed to demand sacrifices she could not bear to make.
There was no time. The ant-like monsters pressed relentlessly, and then—
”Something new! Over there!”
From the swarm emerged a figure clutching a glowing stone staff. It chanted in an alien tongue, and an orb of light streaked toward them.
”Magic?! Everyone, dodge!”
They leapt aside—but the orb swerved midair, tracking until it struck home.
”A homing spell?!”
”No fair!”
A classmate screamed as blood seeped from the wound. She sobbed while forcing down healing potion, but her fear remained carved into her trembling body. Others, seeing it, trembled too.
Then more staff-bearers appeared, hurling glowing orbs one after another. Guided blasts rained down.
”Ahhh! We’re done for!”
”They’re chasing us!”
”Run! Just run!”
”Wait—Kasane, don’t leave me!”
”Stop! Everyone, don’t scatter—” Mineyama pleaded. But terror broke them. Her words were lost in the chaos as the party shattered into fleeing fragments, each vanishing into the twisting darkness of the Birene Mine Tunnel.
Thus, the Mineyama group was torn apart.
Notes:
• Mineyama – Vice class rep, serious and disciplined.
• Iwaya – Yukina’s boyfriend, who plays soccer.
• Yukina – Sayumi’s friend, a half-Eastern European girl with silver hair and blue eyes, who offers support and expresses concern about the recent events.
• Sayumi – Vice class rep, serious and disciplined.
• Takuma – A bullied student with a dark and arrogant personality, who awakens as a Dark Knight.
• Sada – A bullied student with a dark and arrogant personality, who awakens as a Dark Knight.
• Nakaoin – A haughty, twin-tailed girl from a former aristocratic family.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply