Chapter 79: Evil Swordsman
Bonus chapter...
"I'm going ahead! You come after me with Aeris!"
"Understood!"
Nagisa takes Aeris, who is the only one going too slow, and I run down the cliff first.
"'Black Coat'!"
Without stopping, I activate the magic.
A thin, cloth-like darkness covers my body, forming a cloak.
It is a dark magic that hides me from the monsters and temporarily blocks their attacks. This will allow me to approach the cliff undetected by whatever is fighting below.
As I reach the bottom of the cliff - there, a familiar boy is engaging the enemy.
"Damn... Haaaaaaaaaaaa!"
A white slash is unleashed with a piercing attack.
The one who unleashed the magic sword, a combination of swordsmanship and light magic, was Leon Brave, the hero.
It seems that... before I knew it, Leon had overtaken our party and was moving ahead, reaching the depths of Margarita's canyon.
Considering that 'light magic' is effective against the undead, he must have worked very hard to get this far. The provocation in the park must have been very hard on him.
"...!?"
But... this is where the real surprise comes in.
Leon is fighting an unexpected opponent.
"Ahh! I am sad... I am really sad! I am sad that you are weak!"
The opponent cries out in a theatrical manner as he repels a slash of light with the weapon in his hand.
He moves swiftly and without hesitation. This is something that an undead without reason would never be able to do, and it is a clear indication that Leon is fighting a living person.
The man Leon is fighting is human. It is a young man in his twenties... looks like 'something'.
His hair is colored pure white and tied back on his head, and he has a flowing face. He looked like an actor. However, his two red eyes are frighteningly cold and filled with the color of a man who tortures his prey.
The man wears a dark blue cloak and holds a single-edged sword like a Japanese sword in his left hand. In contrast, he doesn't have right hand. The sleeves fluttered and danced with the man's movements, and it appeared that his right arm had been severed from the shoulder.
"Is that all you got, you immature and weak offspring of heroes? You will never be able to defeat me with such a warm attack!"
"He's...strong...! But...I can't lose!"
Leon exhales sharply and slashes at the man with a face contorted by exhaustion.
"What a sad struggle! It's so shameful."
But... the blow he fires in frustration is easily avoided, and a kick from the man slams into Leon's back as they pass each other.
"Kahah!"
"Leon!"
A high-pitched scream is heard as Leon is kicked and rolls on the ground.
The scream is raised by a girl with glasses who was standing a little far away from Leon. It's Leon's new friend, Melia Sue.
Melia is crouching on the ground, and Ciel Uranus is lying unconscious in front of her. It seems that Melia is treating Ciel.
Ciel's chest stained red with blood, and her face is completely white. The shallow rise and fall of her chest indicate that she is not dead, but she looks in a very dangerous state.
"No more... You can't hurt my friends... I must protect them, I must protect them...!"
Leon rolls on the ground, covered in mud, but stands firm and grips his sword.
It seems that Leon is fighting alone to protect his friends.
"Huff... It's sad. It's sad that you can't protect your friends!"
"SHUT UPPPPPPPPPPP!!"
Leon and the man clash swords again.
Leon looks desperate, while the man smiles smugly.
The difference in strength is obvious. Clearly, Leon was being toyed with by his superior opponent.
"You've got to be kidding me... What the hell is he doing here!?"
I mutter quietly, keeping my distance from the battle and hiding behind my magic.
The enemy fighting Leon looks familiar. That man is another enemy from [DunBrave].
His name is Shin’ya Kushinagi.
He is a boss character belonging to the demon king's army, and one of the four heavenly kings, the highest-ranking officers.
He is a corrupted swordsman who made a contract with a demon for power and became 'Majin' despite being a human.
He is an enemy whom the protagonist would fight in the latter half of the scenario, and he is a strong enemy whom the protagonist could not defeat even if he stands at the beginning of the game.
"This is the worst... How could this guy come at this time...? Where did I make a mistake in my choice? Did I just step on a flag that would bring him out before I knew it!?"
"Hey… Where are you Master?"
"Z-Zenon-sama?"
While I was asking myself these questions, Nagisa and Aeris caught up with me.
They stopped a short distance away and looked around for me, who had disappeared.
"...Huh!?"
But then their gazes turn to Shin’ya.
Shin’ya and Leon, who are engaged in a sword fight, don't seem to notice, but they can clearly see Leon's opponent.
"Ah..."
"Nagisa-san?"
It was Nagisa who showed a remarkable reaction to the one-armed man who was pointing his sword at Leon.
Nagisa's slit eyes widened to their widest limit and her lips trembled.
The emotions on her graceful face are astonishment, fear, hatred, regret, and...
"Ha...hahaha, hahaha! Hahahahahaha!"
A rapturous joy.
Nagisa bursts into loud laughter, showing her emotions of joy like I have never seen since we started living together.
"Ahahahahaha! I found it... I found it! I will avenge my father! Avenge my school!"
"Hah...!?"
"My sworn enemy... Shin'ya Kushinagi! Prepare to dieeeeeeeeeeee!"
Nagisa leaves Aeris behind and runs in a straight line toward Shin’ya.
Yes, that man, Shin'ya Kushinagi, is the murderer of Nagisa's father, and the avenging enemy that Nagisa has been pursuing all the way from the Far East.