Arifureta After III Abyss Lord Arc Chapter 2 The Respective Battle Top
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「Kousuke! It's night right now! What's more it's pitch black!」
Emily made an accurate tsukkomi when Kousuke wore sunglasses.
However, he was already the lord so it was irrelevant! The lord sent a thumb up at Emily that was cryptic when seen from the side. The the lord's gaze looked around toward the approaching cultists and the demons that were letting out repulsive shriek.
Two male cultists who were at the very front leaped toward the lord.
An aging man wearing shabby outfit and a middle-aged man wearing a worn-out suit. Each of them was armed with kitchen knife and something like a crowbar. From a glance the two men looked like a hobo and a salary man who was working in a black company. Their movement was the very picture of amateur just like their appearance suggested.
Although,
「GaAAAAAAAAH」
「UaAAAAH」
They were screaming with their saliva flying everywhere. Their shining red pupils were shrinking and only madness could be felt from their attacking figure. In addition, their movement was terribly fast as though their flesh body's limiter was cancelled.
Their condition that wouldn't be an exaggeration at all to be called as repulsive was enough to make those who faced them to falter.
In fact, Emily, Carl and others were shaking. Even the bodyguards who were used to fighting scene were holding their breath.
An unnatural sound of cutting wind came from behind such Emily and co.
The hazy phenomenon of something without shape exerting their influence to this world. The demons were trying to take Emily and others by surprise right now.
At the front were two cultists who had fallen into madness. At the back were demons.
It was a bit too much for the lord alone.
And so,
「――Owarinaki MugenkyouThe abyss lord is infinitude」 (TN: The Endless Dream Lord)
The lord formed handseal that had no particular meaning and chanted such line.
Instantly, clones materialized, two at the front of the lord, and one more behind.
The two at the front immediately passed beside the two men like a wind with low stance that was like crawling on earth.
Then, the cultists raised a scream 「Higih!?」 and tumbled down, sliding on the asphalt ground with their face.
Looking closer, blood was flowing from their hands and feet. The lord severed the tendon of their limbs while passing.
At the same time, the third clone leaped midair to behind Emily and co, and then the clone chanted a line while forming meaningless handseal as expected.
「My bad but, I won't let you touch even a single hair of their body――Gouka Beni SenpuSurging dark flame of abyss」 (TN: Hell Fire Crimson Whirlwind)
What was generated was a tornado of flame. It was deployed to protect Emily and co, the surrounding that was even darker than the darkness of night was illuminated with brilliant radiance.
When that happened, the unseen demon let out a shriek of death agony that pierced the ear, while agent Lyle and the other bodyguards raised shocked voice「Uoo!?」, and then, Emily and Vanessa's talking voice of「How can more clones came out from Kousuke clone!? Don't tell me, the one in front of me is the real Kousuke? No, my sixth sense that is limited to Kousuke is saying that the Kousuke in front of me is a clone!」「Muh, that means……the real body of Kousuke-san used it?」.
Carl and others recovered their mind that was in the verge of panic after seeing their daughter and the SOUSAKAN who were talking normally in this situation. It was something to be greatly thankful about.
In fact, the conjecture of Emily and Vanessa was correct.
As a general rule, Kousuke's clone body couldn't be produced except from the main body. The only exception was when he entered the Abyss Lord mode until the maximum depth of depth V (the depth started from I until V). In that depth he was able to produce clone from another clone.
In other words, the main body of Kousuke who realized the dangerous situation here from the report of his clone immediately used the limit break artifact――Last ZellDon't ever use it only at me okay? Ver.4 to enter the state of depth V.
In fact, the main body at Britain was making a chuuni pose alone inside the classroom where there was only the unconscious Professor Littman other than him.
Illuminated by the tornado of hell fire that the Lord produced, the approaching cultists and the shadows of the demons flying around became visible.
There were around twenty cultists. The majority were foreigners wearing outfit like traveler. Some number of Japanese who were mixed among them consisted only with people who were the same like the two men just now, they would either looked worn-out somehow, with some looking abnormally thin or very fat instead.
「What feeling are you all harboring, why did you fell……. My bad, but I have no time for careful consideration. Grovel on the ground before my absolute move of abyss.」
「As I thought! Kousuke, you are now the lord aren't you!? You completely turn into the lord! Do your best Kousuke! Keep a hold of yourself!」
'Even if you are at depth V, do your best as Kousuke!' Emily-chan cheered. Hearing that, 'I wish you'll be quiet for a bit right now……' the lord might be thinking something like that, but for now such thing was put aside.
Against the tornado of hell fire, a car came charging without faltering, rather it was suddenly accelerating as though the driver stepped on the gas pedal in full. The lord made the clones that were produced from another clone to run while sending telepathy to his comrades.
「Everyone, it is I.」
『Kousuke!?』
『Endo-kun!』
『Abyssss! Shinji is weeping now after cackling like that! He is squatting and won't move even though he is attacked! His emotion is too unstable it's seriously scaryyyyy! Do something!』
With the single line of "It is I", his comrades instantly guessed that it was Kousuke. Communication came one after another. The abyss lord felt relieved that everyone was safe at present while letting out 「Fuh」 at the depth of his bond with his comrades.
But, right after that,
『……Endo. Explain without screwing around.』
「YES, MA'AM!!!」
Even though he was in the state of Abyss Lord mode depth V, he immediately stood at attention and saluted toward the extremely cold voice that reached him!
The voice's owner was the first wife of the demon king, the vampire princess.
One of the clones stabbed the bonnet of the charging car with a short sword that was turned into light ○aber while increasing the car's weight using gravity magic in addition. While giving a backward glance at the standing up car, the lord who returned into Kousuke for a bit despite in depth V began explaining.
「Listen to me everyone. The true identity of the attackers is demons and their worshippers.」
Kousuke omitted the detail and conveyed only what should be told right now briefly.
He said, the demon worshippers in the end were "human" who was in cooperative relationship with demon, they weren't monster by all means. However, their physical limiter was released, and even if they fainted there was a risk of them waking up from the demon's whisper, so be careful.
It would be to each of their own decision whether to kill or not, in case they wanted to render them powerless, it shouldn't be with a blow to vital point or the like to make them faint, but with binding that made them unable to move with certainty or driving them to a condition where their limbs became unusable.
In that case, there would be a risk of them committing suicide, so to prevent that, he recommended to break their jaw if possible. They would be healed by Shirasaki later anyway, so there won't be any problem to let loose and let them have it!
The invisible enemy――the demon was immune to physical attack, but magic power was effective against them. Even if it wasn't offensive magic, an object imbued with magic power would be effective too, and so on.
「It seems the enemy is targeting us returnee and the people related to us. Right now I'm in a state where I can produce clone without limit. Those who need reinforcement, tell me if you have place where I'm needed.」
His comrades sent voices 「Seriously!? You are in anti demon king mode right now huh!」「Wait a second! Then why aren't you acting embarrassingly!? Now then, you are imposter right!? (by Yuuka)」 that sounded shocked in various senses. At the same time, they also sent him the location of their house and the people close to them.
In the middle of their conversation, two more cars came rushing. He smashed the front glass and forcefully ejected the driver and neutralized them, severed the tendons of the cultists' limbs, and crunched their jaws while increasing the number of clones even now. He hurried those clones to head toward the places that his comrades were telling him.
Of course, he also sent some to his own house.
『……Endo. In other words, if these sickening souls overflowing through the city, and the strange power interfering with human are taken care somehow, then it will be fine?』
「That's right. Though it seems they are coming to this world through medium like mirror or water, so I don't know how much it has to be taken care of.」
『……I see. Got it. Endo, buy time. In five minutes――I'll bring them down.』
「Bri, bring them down? No, yes, roger.」
Perhaps something happened. Yue's rage was conveyed clearly even through the telepathy. He didn't know what she was planning to do in five more minutes, but it seemed the demons had seriously angered the demon king's first wife, the strongest vampire princess-sama.
In any case, Kousuke was making his clone launch a flying knee kick to the face of a high school girl who was swinging around a hatchet while yelling why it was only she alone who met unreasonable experience, while,
「Fuh. Then, I will enjoy this dance of death until Yueher majesty the queen's time limit.」
He made a turn while returning back into the lord nad declared fearlessly――
『Kou-niii! Seriously stop it with that! I'll sever our sibling relationship you know!?』
『Kousukeee-, what stupid thing you are saying there! Otou-san is at my limit already! Also the toilet's door is at the limit too! Stop screwing around!』
『How much do you think it will take to repair the window glass! Come home quickly before the house got destroyed even more than this! Also, Sousuke went to a mixer so go get him!』
「Ah, yes, sorry.」
Right after that, he returned back to Kousuke. Even depth V seemed to be cooled down instantly with the serious wordsheavy scolding from his family.
It seemed his family was taking refuge together in the toilet. Kousuke turned off the mobile phone from where the voice of his parents and little sister came, then Kousuke called the number of his big brother while giving off an atmosphere of feeling like running away from there.
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「De, demon or the like is seriously impossible you know~. Yuukaaa, Nanaaa~, you there? Talk to meeee」
『We are also busy here! You heard about the necessary thing from Endo already! Manage it somehow by yourself!』
『At worst, you can run around until Aby came! Do your best~』
Although there was light from building, for some reason the street lights all turned off. The one who was walking while shivering on a street that continued to the station where even passerby had vanished was Sugahara Taeko.
Her wavy brown hair that was braided was swaying in conjunction with her shivering. Tears were gathering in her large droopy eyes and they were going to spill out anytime now.
Her appearance was like a calm type gal, but she had quiet diligent nature. She was walking outside in this kind of place at nine o'clock at night was also because she was returning from her special short course cram school.
Such Taeko in fact was greatly weak against horror. Even when going to amusement park, she wouldn't enter haunted house no matter what even if she died. She was so weak of it until a level where even if her friends were going to enter haunted house in amusement park with specially high tension, she would be seriously angry with serious face even if she had to break the fun atmosphere.
Thus, even though she was someone with experience of fighting god's apostle in another world, for Taeko this situation right now where repulsive voice and strange shadows were running around in the surrounding was a despairing situation.
――GIiIIIIH
――Humannn! Womaaan!!
「Hiih!? Don't come hereee!!」
She raised a scream to drown the demon's shriek while lifting her hand and waved it to draw a circle.
By doing that, purplish red light surged and drew a cylinder track around Taeko. It was a sight like a rhythmic sports gymnastics athlete was dancing while whirling ribbon around her.
Right away, a shriek that was different from before echoed. That was the shriek of death agony from the demon attacking Taeko.
「Uu……if something like this would happen, I'll bring my whip in my bag everywhere with meee……」
Taeko dropped her forlorn gaze toward her hand. The thing that hand was holding which was destroying the demons was a thin chain. Stylish accessories were attached everywhere on it. It was actually the decorative belt that was wrapped around Taeko's mini skirt.
Taeko's vocation was "Whip Master". Not just whip, she possessed natural talent to freely manipulate string shaped thing.
Originally she possessed retractable whip artifact that possessed electric ability that was given to her by Heiligh Kingdom, but because it wasn't common sense to always bring whip even though she was just going to cram school, she didn't bring it right now.
In the off chance that she dropped her bag and the whip rolled out from it when it would be bad if it was seen……
For Taeko such disgraceful situation that was like a male student confessing about his porn book in school was absolutely intolerable.
Although, the whip was hung on her room's wall. Seeing the whip that obviously had seen a lot of use, Taeko's family……especially her father and little brother were already creeped out.
Just in case, she was at least always bringing something string shaped on herself for when she was meeting forceful men picking up women or if she fell into an unexpected situation, so this time her effort bore fruit.
「AAAAAAAAAAAH!!」
「Wai-, what is it!?」
Even while looking like she was going to cry anytime, she somehow kept walking to reach the station. But a man suddenly leaped out from the side path. It was a foreigner youth with blond hair. For some reason he was saying things like 「With this, with this I'll be saved!」 while swinging around a steel pipe with crying face.
'It's me who want to cry here, who cares of you getting saved or whatever', Taeko thought inside her heart while swinging her chain.
The chain surged in the air like a living thing and entangled one of the man's foot splendidly. Taeko then pulled the chain with a jerk and the youth tumbled backward with one of his foot pulled up.
The steel pipe was thrown to the air while the back of his head hit the asphalt ground.
There, unnoticed another foreigner woman appeared from behind and charged toward Taeko while screaming. 「Die for me!」 She was also yelling another selfish line with what was likely Dutch language.
「Geez! Quit it already!」
When she snapped her wrist with a jerk, the chain entwined the falling steel pipe. At the same time, Taeko turned her body and swung her arm in large way. The steel pipe was boosted with the centrifugal force and turned into even more wicked weapon.
*Hyuo* The steel pipe caused the sound of howling wind and splendidly struck the woman's leg, making a vivid pulverized sound. Ignoring the collapsing woman, Taeko entwined the chain that was accelerated by centrifugal force and entangled it around her own neck.
And then when she twisted her body and the chain left from her neck, the steel pipe abruptly turn vertically from horizontally and hit the leg of the youth just now from above. The dull sound of bone breaking resounded once more, and the youth's scream also burst out at the same time.
Taeko's movement didn't stop. With a jerk she pulled the bounced up steel pipe closer. The steel pipe came flying toward Taeko with terrific momentum which she dodged by shifting half her body behind.
By doing that, the steel pipe dealt a critical hit on the face of a middle-aged man who was sneaking ut stealthily from a building's entrance. The middle aged man got his head thrown back with blood spurting from his nose. And then,
「――"Lightning Snake"!」
She pulled the trigger of magic that she chanted with small murmur.
The steel pipe and chain became tinged with lightning. Taeko heartily rotated it around herself. The steel pipe and chain that was like a round shield that was made from lightning scattered around the demons that were rapidly approaching her once more.
She was like a fire dancer, continuously rotating chain freely to every direction. Her movement was like she was just doing something in her spare time, however, the chain didn't pause even for a moment and then the chain let go of the steel pipe toward the middle-aged man who was bleeding from the nose.
The steel pipe flew with terrific speed and accurately pulverized the knee of the middle-aged man who was right about to stand up to charge forward once more.
「Yuukaaa, Nanaa~」
Taeko called to her friends with a pathetic voice. But, her attack was merciless, and looking at the disastrous scene around her……the gap was just too striking. Yuuka and Nana didn't really respond to her, perhaps because they understood this or perhaps because they were simply busy with taking care of themselves.
With her friend not responding and no more enemy showing up, Taeko casually continued to launch attack to all direction to not give any opening for anything to approach……Taeko's heart wouldn't feel at ease without doing that.
Finally Taeko became tearful……no, it had gone past that. Her eyes were gradually turning glassy. If someone saw her from the side, they might muttered 「Oh, Taeko's condition is……」.
But, perhaps such strange state of her became an opening……
*Kara kara kara-*, a strange sound resounded.
Taeko was taken aback and returned to her senses and turned her eyes toward the sound. That was a hand mirror that was rolling under her feet. Looking closer, the woman who seemed to be a Dutch whose foot was smashed just now had her hand stretched out with a crazy smile on her face.
It seemed she had just thrown her hand-mirror.
「Eh, what is……ah!?」
The moment she recalled what the lord had said, it was already too late.
The next moment, an invisible impact surged from the hand-mirror below.
「Uguh」
Taeko was sent flying with choked voice from the impact hitting her stomach. Because she immediately blocked with her arms, she was able to soften the impact somewhat, but her body flew for a few meter and her back hit the ground.
She rolled once and stood on her knee, but her barrier that she made from rotating chain was already gone. Further impact came from the side as though it had been waiting for that.
「Uah」
Taeko was sent flying once more and rolled on the ground. Her physical spec that was trained in another world still had spare strength left, but this was really bad with her balance completely broken like this.
As expected, a fat man charging from the street leaped toward Taeko.
「Fuuuh, fuuuh!!」
「Wai-, noo-, disgusting」
The fat man took mount position above Taeko and he stared hard at her with bloodshot eyes. Furthermore sweat was dripping from him, causing Taeko to spew venom spontaneously.
Perhaps the man was unable to stomach that attitude, because his face distorted uglily and he lifted up the screwdriver he was holding in reverse grip.
Taeko's expression paled. The man's weight must be double of Taeko. In the first place, although she was training in another world but her physical strength itself was low. Taeko's specialty was in dexterity and agility. Even though she could struggle and got away, she had no strength to brush aside the man with one hit.
(Idiot meeeee—. I'm too carelessss-! Aaah, geeez!!)
Although the opponents were invisible something, or human with their limiter cancelled, and also the horror situation that she was not good with, she couldn't deny that she had been careless. Taeko gritted her teeth with the resolve to take the hit and endured the pain――
At that moment, *Bang bang* dry bursting sound echoed.
(Eh? Nagumo-kun?)
The dry sound was gunshot. And then, not just Taeko, for the returnees speaking of gunshot would mean Hajime.
Taeko blinked and ahead of her gaze, the fat man's shoulders were scattering blood, at the same time, the screwdriver fell down. Perhaps even the man's nerves got injured, both his arms were hanging down limply. If the shooter was aiming for that, then their skill must be quite something.
Right after that, a really frivolous tone of a male resounded.
「Miss, are you okay, whoops!」
A sharp kick that gave the sound of cutting wind hit the side of the fat man's head. The power behind the kick seemed to be quite powerful, because the fat man was sent flying with his eyes rolling up. There, *bang* one more gunshot sounded. The man's knee was shoot through.
「When I rushed here from hearing a scream……what a coincidence this is. ――『Chief. I encountered returnee no. 18, miss Sugawara Taeko. I'm in battle at present』」
『Although I sent you there with that prediction in mind, it's godsend that the person is a returnee herself. Explain your identity to her and ask for her cooperation. Then join us again here as soon as possible.』
「Yes, ma'am.」
The man talked through the radio on his ear before he asked the dumbfounded Taeko.
「Eerr, who?」
「Oops, Ms. Taeko. Pardon my rudeness. I――」
The man was about to introduce himself. However, right after that he was sent flying to right behind.
Surely it was a demon attacking him. But, even though the man was sent flying, he rallied his stance midair like a cat. It seemed the moment the impact hit him, he jumped backward by himself and softened the impact. Even if he had been preparing himself beforehand, it was still an astounding reflex.
Furthermore, he backflipped with his hand at the same time with his landing and leaped backward. Right after that, the asphalt where he was just at a moment ago burst.
「So, something like this is the specialty of Aby-san! I'm anti human specialist you know!?」
Even while complaining, he transitioned from backflip to side leap with flowing motion. The air at the place where he was standing just now was shaking again.
「Ms. Taeko! I'm an agent of Britain national security bureau, Allen Parker! Aby-san's fr-i-e-nd! For sure! No, it won't be an exaggeration even if I say that I'm his bosom friend! No, really! It's not a lie! It's really unthinkable for me to lie! That's why help me please!」
「Eh, ah, understood? Eerr, but, the enemy's figure is……」
「Please attack at the area around my right at count three!」
The man――Allen's movement changed. Previously his movement had sharpness to keep dodging and parrying the invisible enemy's attack, but now it slightly dulled. With a building behind him, and his left side filled with power pole, he staggered looking as though his foot slipped.
「――"Lightning Snake"!」
Taeko swung her chain toward the place that Allen said in a timing just as she was told. By doing that, a demon's scream resounded in the air.
「Hi, hiih. A chain!? With lightning!? What brutal attack even though she is a pretty girl!? It's too scary! Please absolutely don't hit me!」
Allen screamed half crying seeing the chain of lightning cleaving the wind right beside him.
But, his movement didn't falter at all. He splendidly guided the demon's movement and gave Taeko a chance to attack while taking on the cultists that were arriving further to not get closer to Taeko so that she was protected and could concentrate solely toward the demon.
Allen was sliding while tackling the opponent's foot, and then breaking it while standing up without any pause. Then he accurately shot through the legs of another man. And right after that her performed cartwheel with one hand right away while shooting the legs of different cultist. Next while being upside down, he used his legs to pin the neck of another different cultist who was rushing toward him and then he twisted his body and threw the cultist's head on the ground.
「Noooo!? Just now, it grazed me you know!? Ms. Taeko! Really be careful!」
「……」
*Hyun hyun*, Taeko's chain was cleaving through the wind. Its sharpness was increasing remarkably compared to when she was fighting alone before this. She was mowing down at her surrounding while sending attack accurately to Allen's surrounding when the timing was right.
Even Allen's movement was increasingly matching her rhythm little by little and her aim was increasing in accuracy.
「Hih!? Why did the chain go through below my crotch just now!? You can attack normally right!?」
「……」
Because she wasn't alone anymore, her body that was stiff due to the horror situation relaxed.
「Nowah!? Just now, aren't you planning to hit me with that!? Crackle, the crackle sound is ringing! At my neck!」
「……」
Taeko's feeling tensed because she almost got seriously injured. Her concentration heightened further.
「Ah!? Just now, it hit! It hit me! Ms. Taeko! It's fine to not be that close! Increase the safety margin a bit――ah!? Just right after I said that! Ah!? Wai-, can you hear me!? Ms. Tae――ah!?」
「……Fufu.」
Taeko's expression vaguely looked like she was having fun, as though she was in a world of her own.
All her classmates who saw Taeko swinging her whip and displayed her stuff with it knew.
She looked like a calm type gal, however at her root she was diligent. She was also a firm person who mediated Nana who had the tendency to get too high-spirited and Yuuka who was unable to be honest when it matter, but actually――
She was a hidden Ssadist.
Yes, Taeko-san whose fetish that was normally hidden got stimulated. The sharpness of her attack was increasing following her uplifted feeling.
By the way, Taeko's father was creeped out when she saw the whip wasn't from imagining his daughter's fetish. It was because he was thinking 「Taekoo, so you too……」, while the figure of his wife――Taeko's mother surfaced in his mind.
Allen's combat skill that neutralized the cultists and toyed with the demons was just as expected from one of the hit man group that was a country's trump card.
His abundant fighting experience and natural combat sense dragged in even the demons into his own tactic.
But, the person himself was teary eyed. He was desperately running around while sometimes making pathetic expression, sometimes screaming, and sometimes complaining.
Seeing such hopeless agent-san who always became a laughing stock even though he was actually amazing, and who kept lamenting all year round how he was unable to make a girlfriend, the hidden S Taeko-san was……
「……Cute」
She was exposing an expression that a cat would make when it found a mouse while letting slip a comment that would surely make Yuuka and Nana creeped out for sure if they were here.
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AN: Thank you very much for reading this every time.
Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.
I'm sorry that this week it also feel half-baked.
My work writing volume 8 will be finished with just a bit more!
I think next week the sotry can advance with nice tempo, so please spare me this week with something like this.
Also, the true identity of the sender of the letter that Myuu handed to Alen in the previous Christmas project, well, it was her.
In the end, will it develop until romance, or else will it end incompletely……
Either way, Allen is completely not fated with 「female who will be kind to me」!
Also, this arc doesn't end with 10 chapters.
Sorry for this too.