“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
The monster that ‘was’ fake Marquis howled in the moonlit night.
Its body tht was several times larger than a human’s was black as a shadow and it had a hazy silhouette.
It looked like a humanoid apparition at first glance, but its joints were ambiguous, bending in every direction like a rubber doll.
The monster flexed its arm like a whip and threw punches.
It would sometimes enlarge random parts of its body, like for instance, making its arm like a hammer when striking.
The attack that collapsed the underground pa.s.sage’s ceiling was one of those.
――CRAAa.s.sSH!!
“Eeeek. You punched a hole, oi!!”
I shrieked while I peered into the hole in the ground it opened.
If Mist didn’t steal its vision in the nick of time I would’ve turned into mincemeat right about now.
The hole seemed to go through to the underground pa.s.sage, I remember seeing the wall I saw behind the dust cloud.
Then from there out popped the face of a person I didn’t think I’d see.
“P, Princess Rosé!”
She had gone off somewhere with Glenn but somehow she was there in the underground pa.s.sage.
She widened her eyes, confused as to what happened, and looked up my way.
She had changed her hair from the Lady Demy hairstyle to Princess Rosé’s somewhere along the way.
“Is there anyone injured!?”
Being asked a question Princess Rosé made a slightly perturbed look.
Right, I see, Princess is still under Glenn’s brainwashing….
“What are you doing Yuu-kun!?”
As I was hesitating slightly, Mist came with a warning.
She transformed back and forth between her original and mist bodies to somehow catch the monster’s attention.
Her original body was near the monster but it seems she can talk anywhere her mist form could reach.
“There’s Princess Rosé down there!”
“Eeeh!? Why’s she in a place like that!?”
“Like I’d know why! But she is there!”
“I, I know how you feel but we don’t have the time to take her back right now!”
Mist is right.
I have to do something about the fake Marquis first.
Princess Rosé then turned towards me and said
“Umm, no, n.o.body injured”
……at least she was able to answer me in her state.
Right.
“…Please wait here, I’ll beat this guy and come help you!!”
I declared and I left so that the monster doesn’t attack the same place again.
“Yuu-kun, do you think you can win?”
Mist asked me while she flanked the enemy.
I only have one way to win.
Waiting for the E:ID phone to recharge and hit the monster with the next blow.
I said as much.
“……. but you couldn’t finish it off with that…”
She hit me right where it hurts.
“Sorry, I have nothing but this. All that remains is to pray for the phone to pop up a new skill”
“Do those skills pop up just like that?”
“Yeah, this guy’s a pretty fickle one—,”
Bleep.
[A New Skill Has Been Released]
“………….”
“………….”
Umm, what?
Does this thing work while listening to people talk?
“….. It’s really a fickle guy, huh. It was the same that time with me, as well…”
“Stop fooling around each and every time, you should’ve popped this out earlier!!”
“Wait wait…. calm down. So, what kind of magic is it?”
“Um….”
[ ‘Nuclear Missile Punch‘ ]
“…… T, the h.e.l.l is thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!?”
Nuclear Missile Punch? Did a grade schooler make this!!
[How to use: Nuclear Missile Punch hits the enemy with a reaaaaally powerful punch. Even a huge enemy gets blown away in one hit. You have to be careful because you’ll fly away if you miss]
……. even the explanation is kiddy, I’m beat.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“Yuu-kun, watch out!!”
c.r.a.p, while I was letting my guard down the monster was swinging down his fist not at Mist but at me.
A pitch black object was coming down at me.
” ‘Defense Magic‘ !!”
When I thought I was done for, something pushed through between it and me.
I know those long braids, that maid clothed girl.
—— It was Arina!
Arina took the enemy’s blow with a shining wall, protecting me.
“Yuu-kun, s, sorry I’m late!!”
She turned her head and showed me a smile.
“Nice timing! I’m going to blow it away, cover me!”
“Yes!”
I rolled and ran towards my huge enemy.
” ‘Rock Magic‘ !!”
Arina chanted and throwing stones appeared out of nowhere.
It can’t do much more than act as a distraction, but that’s enough.
“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
After flinching for an instant, the monster caught me in his sight and as if he found his prey, he swung his fist down.
“Mist!!”
“Yes!!”
Mist’s mist wrapped me.
Then I took out the ring I got from the real Marquis and put it on.
Having lost sight of me, the monster’s fist hit empty ground uselessly.
―― Now!!
“[Skill] ‘Nuclear Missile Punch’ ”
[‘Nuclear Missile Punch’ Emulator Set Up!]
My right fist became wrapped in something red and aura-like
Looks like I just have to hit him with this.
The moment my invisibility wore off, I jumped underneath the monster.
“UUUOOOOOOOOOOHHH!! TAKE THIIIS!!”
[Action!!]
I hit the enemy with an uppercut aimed at the head.
At the moment of impact, BAM, the enemy shook.
Then BOOM, it was launched to the end of the sky.
“No way…”
I heard a speechless voice from Mist, who had been watching.
Looks like it wasn’t called nuclear missile for nothing….
…… well, I think nuclear missiles work differently, though.
Anyway, we managed to finish it off.
“… arigatou, Arina. That was dangerous… eh?”
… Arina wasn’t there.
She ran off somewhere again.
†
The black monster called the fake Marquis Isky flew through the night sky as if to defy gravity.
But once it pierced through the clouds, it suddenly grew giant wings and got itself under control.
“… understood, Master”
It nodded, seemingly having received somebody’s order, and turned its body to the ground.
“Counterattack start,” it muttered, then went towards the ground like it was diving into the sea…――
But its dive was suddenly stopped.
A small, really small ‘obstacle’ stopped its dive in the air.
Braided hair waved in the high pressure wind brought by the blow.
Not minding the freezing air, she was calm and composed.
As the monster raised its fist, not lett its target get away, Arina made a wide grin.
“I don’t have much time but don’t worry. I’ll give you lots of souvenirs to bring to h.e.l.l”
Crunch.
The monster’s body warped in the shape of the letter く.
Arina drove her fist into it faster than the eye could hope to see.
“Just · how · love · ly · can · Yuu · kun · get · !”
Saying each syllable separately, Arina drove her kick into the monster as she said each one.
And not only from one direction at that, she instantly warped around its body, sometimes the side, sometimes overhead, she rushed to attack it from all directions.
Arina said each syllable separately at first but before long she sped up her talking.
“Say · ing · eve · ry · thing · to · the · end is really difficult, but,”
Her attack speed became faster as well.
“ArinaWantstoShareaLittleBitofThisWithEveryoneFromArina’sHeartArinaWantstoGiveEvenaShortLivedMonsterLikeYouJustaTinyBitofHappinessThoughThatMightBeJustArina’sEgoYuu-KunIsWiseandSublimeandn.o.bleandMostofAllCoolandGentleWhichMakesHimCuteRoséandMistWhoHaveBecomeYuu-Kun’sPropertyMustBeVeryHappyIWonderifTheyNoticedThatofCourseTheyNoticedRightThey’dKnowWithoutHavingtoThinkWhichIsWhyArinaThoughtArinaWantstoGiveEveryonetheSeedsofHappinessYouWanttoBeHappyTooDon’tYouYouDoRightofCourseYouDoThat’sRightYeah”
“So, Happiness Lesson number 1”
“We’ll begin with atoning for your sins by dying♪ Do your best and come back to life, live for Yuu-kun’s sake next time, okay”
Arina poked the thing that had been reduced to a soppy lump of meat from taking the continuous high speed attacks.
POP, the thing scattered into small pieces, becoming trash in the atmosphere.
“Ah, but that’s what’s called the cycle of reincarnation, isn’t it? ……. hmmm”
Arina dubiously tilted her head slightly to the side, but
“Well, whatever. Let’s just call it the salvation of your sinful soul. Ufufufu, I did something good”
Having decided that by herself she smiled in satisfaction and returned to the surface.