Chapter 85: The Sun Rises Again (1)

"Then withdraw, beasts."

Together with Sacred Knight’s quiet voice, explosive flame was released. Released in a dome with Knight at the center, it swallowed the area with tsunami-like speed and mass.

The beasts that had been about to attack us screamed. Fur scorched, flesh burned, whole bodies burned.

It was exactly a picture of hell, but that flame never burned us.

Even though flame wrapped our whole bodies, far from being hot it was warm and pleasant. Vitality gradually surged even through my shredded body.

That flame that burned the entire abandoned factory site was her skill that activated every turn in the game.

It activated centered on herself and mercilessly burned enemies away, yet it was holy flame that never injured allies or those who must be protected.

Just by being there she tried to burn Gain’s army to nothing.

But the beasts were not fools either. Their eyes focused on Knight.

We cannot let her keep that up. Wolves that rushed in while burning their own bodies in the flame opened their jaws wide to eat her.

Their speed was like guns rather than arrows.

In contrast, Knight’s movements were sluggish compared to the beasts. Evasion was impossible.

No matter how sturdy, many against few.

"Ah, what. You are only fast."

But there was not a scrap of impatience in Knight’s voice.

Inside the flame, a young lady danced.

The figure swinging a greatsword as if dancing resembled a sword dance with zero practicality. Yet she slashed and destroyed the wolves trying to eat her, one after another.

It was not that she was making a wall of flame. The sword was not automatically intercepting enemies. She had not suddenly awakened and become equal to the wolves’ speed.

Simply, she was placing slashes by reading the opponent’s movements ahead.

Not with powerful flame, but with piled-up skill she cut down every enemy faster than herself.

The leaping wolves plunged into the greatsword’s blade as if sucked in and were slashed apart. Spraying blood evaporated in the scorching heat.

The beasts noticed her terror and took distance, but as long as the flame had not gone out Knight’s advantage would not be overturned. One after another they vanished without even being able to touch Knight.

"Wha, you!"

Seeing his subordinates burning out, he bared his canine teeth and put on an expression of anger.

I will not forgive you, woman. I will definitely smash you with these hands. He was probably thinking that.

"Slow."

A blue flash raced and stroked the giant-tree-like right arm.

Sacred Saber landed softly behind Gain. Toward her back, Gain directed a sadistic smile.

"Ha, what is slow."

Good, first it will be you. The Beast King’s mouth twisted with sadism was immediately overwritten by pain.

The right arm fell zururi. Slightly delayed, blood sprayed.

"Gi, ga, you."

"It is over, Diabolic."

Saber’s eyes and hair shone.

The flowing blade swung while she turned was about to take Gain’s neck.

"Shit!"

Right before it cut through, the holy sword was caught by fangs.

Hoh.

Saber leaked a voice of admiration, neither frustrated nor surprised.

The small fry is resisting more than I thought. Not as a taunt or an insult, just as pure fact.

"Don’t fuck with me!"

With anger as if all the blood in his body were flowing backward, the Beast King of Brute Strength Gain Perim roared to call reinforcements.

"I saw that earlier. I will not allow it."

"O, gu, o...!?"

In that instant Gain’s face flared up.

No, the aim was not the face. What she burned was the mouth, the throat beyond it.

With incomparably precise flame control, Knight sealed Gain’s summoning of reinforcements.

"However many mere beasts you call, I would have no problem. But I cannot expose any more unsightly figures. I will trample you. Please do not think poorly of it."

Knight declared it flatly and, while maintaining the flame that covered everything near the abandoned factory, walked toward Gain step by step.

Contrary to the raging scorching heat, Knight’s battle was far from hot-blooded.

Letting the hem of her dress flutter, solemnly, as if there was nowhere a reason to raise her voice.

"A, ga, gi, shit, shit, shiiit! Why me! To the likes of you!"

Gain made his pupils shine crimson, recovered the severed arm and the burned throat, and burned his features with anger.

Yes, this guy activates a healing ability every turn even after taking a fair amount of damage. On top of that he can call an infinite entourage every turn, so a half-baked level and party would be trampled.

Therefore this situation should originally have been impossible.

In the original I could also use Sacred Saber and Knight.

They were strong and convenient then, but they were not existences who could trample the final boss with only two people.

Therefore defeat was certain, and even if we fled desperately we would not know how many would be sacrificed. It should have become that kind of hopeless fight.

"Why, why, whyyy! I, this I, to small fry who were struggling against the likes of the Black Knight and a magician!?"

"Are you wondering why you are being driven this far? Diabolic!"

But while betraying that expectation of mine at tremendous speed, Saber shouted as she severed Gain’s repaired arm again.

It recovers no matter how much you cut? No problem. You only have to exceed the speed of recovery.

It was muscle-brained logic, but in this place it was the optimal answer.

After all there was no clever logic to Gain Perim’s self-regeneration. He was only sealing wounds by consuming the vast life force he possessed. That was all.

Like a final boss he did not even consider status ailments. You could only shave away the opponent’s life force in an all-out war.

Of course that was something you could finally do using many Monster Villains and Sacred fallen to darkness.

But Sacred Knight burning his whole body together with the army,

and Sacred Saber’s raging consecutive attacks receiving Knight’s strengthening,

had begun trampling the strong enemy named Gain Perim head-on.

"We Sacred are invincible as long as there is someone we must protect. Yes, we will never lose to a monster that has only power!"

Those words were worn out, and rather had the opposite meaning, like groundwork for defeat and violation.

That was only natural. The original’s flow was trampling a heroine who loudly proclaimed justice, stomping her dignity and violating her. Originally it would become that way for both Saber and Knight.

But the current Sacred Saber had something the original her did not.

The real feeling of having protected through the one she wanted to protect.

And the fact that the people being protected also continued to believe in her.

And one more.

This might be my getting ahead of myself, but the resolve that this time I will save the person who protected me.

Those three were amplifying the light called Sacred Saber.

"Yes, I will not lose. For the kind people who live their days, for the comrades who fight together, for the person who saved me!"

She accelerated.

The holy sword flipped and glittered.

The slashes that broke limits and increased in sharpness were all killing blows. Gain desperately evaded, but there was no way he could avoid them all, and blood seeped into his thick pelt.

Gain’s body certainly continued regenerating. While being roasted by Knight’s flame and carved up by Saber’s holy sword, he still desperately endured and recovered damage.

But already Saber was beginning to surpass Gain alone. The carved lacerations and many burns increased in number every second. Recovery was not making it.

"Ga, gu, uuaaaaah!"

"Ku."

Even so, knocking Saber flying with the recovered right arm was perhaps the dignity of a final boss.

The fist wrapped in the magical power of darkness nullified Saber’s physical-attack-null ability and let damage through. The ringing pained voice also showed the fact that damage had gone through to her.