Chapter 39

Chapter 39

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Level ups done, equipment upgraded, we made our way through the dungeon better than ever. The usual Skeleton platoons were coming up, getting more numerous as we went in deeper, but that wasn’t enough to stop us anymore. If all the Skeleton troopers were as strong as the captains, maybe it’d itch a bit.

But before we could feel too proud of defeating enemies left and right, we had reached that place.

“This, has to be the boss room, right?”

A conspicuously large door, no, it’d be easier to call this a gate. Reina’s folks are pretty rich, with a mansion and all. This door is as big as their main gate. Otherwise said, it’s big enough to let a large truck through if opened.

“I hope the boss is a Skeleton too”

“But we can’t know what kind of monster is inside till we look”

Since we’re not in a game, there wouldn’t be any reason for it to be one. But if the thing in there was a big Skeleton, we’d certainly be more thankful.

“Whatever comes out, we’re gonna have to defeat it. So let’s believe in our strength and do this”

“Yep, if it’s this team, we’ll be fine!“

“Kotori’s cheering for everyone too!”

We’re ready as can be. In spirit, in strength, we’re in perfect form condition in both respects.

“Alright, yeah… let’s go!”

With great courage, we pushed open the thick gates, and stepped foot into the boss room.

“—!?”

A fierce presence knocked at us the moment we entered. Even in our old world, if you sharpened you senses, you could somehow sense something like a person’s presence… but this, I’ve never felt something this big. Rather than feel, it was more like I was slapped in the face by it.

Seems like the lord of this chamber doesn’t intend on staying hidden.

It’s a circular room, big enough that you could hold a pro baseball match in here. It was dark enough that you couldn’t see all the way to the back, but torches, spaced evenly on the walls, had automatically caught fire all at once.

“Hyaa!? W-what’s that… it’s way too big…”

“Yeah, that’s, a boss for you…”

Natsukawa-san and Asuna, acting vanguard on either side of me, both swallow hard. I wasn’t an exception. Seeing the boss’ giant frame illuminated by the flames came as not so little of a shock.

“… Cerberus”

That was the boss, I could only describe it as such. With the supple yet tight muscles of a doberman, it boasted the size of an elephant. Covered in crimson fur that looked as if it was on fire, thinking how similar the color scheme is to all those Red Dogs we’ve beaten, maybe this guy’s their evolved form?

And its most characteristic trait being, its three heads. Three sharp, ferocious faces lined up beside one another, tongues out making rough breaths, pairs of eyes glaring at us, it looked exactly like Earth’s depiction of the Hound of Hades

“Nii-san, this monster is clearly too different from anything we’ve fought before”

“I know. But if we can’t beat this guy, there’s no going ahead… there’s not going, back home”

Facing a beast surpassing even that Armor Bear, I can’t say I’m not afraid. Maybe we won’t even be a match. Someone could die too. On top of that, my sense of self-preservation is screaming at me.

But I won’t withdraw even one step.

“Yes, that’s right, you’re absolutely right Yuuto-kun. Everyone, we must do this”

To Class Rep’s words, everyone nods with strength.

“From its looks, it’s not too different from a Red Dog. But in size, it’s in a different league all together, so don’t panic if it charges. Sakura, Class Rep, if you guys can stop them with your defense magic, we’ll go for the kill”

“Yes, nii-san”\n“If it’s slowing down, it will be better if we can lure it in. Korori, can you find out how it fights?”

“Ehm, it uhm… it goes blam! and shoots a lot of fire, so head’s up guys! And also, if it got serious, maybe all three heads will go at the same time!”

“If it’s a flame thrower, my ice should come in handy. It’ll likely decrease our offensive potential, but I’ll try focusing on everyone’s defense”

“Then the rest of us’ll just have to work harder then!”

“Yeah, like we practiced guys. Leave attacking to the vanguard, while the rear focuses on support”

At this time, as though its hunger had reached a peak, the Cerberus sluggishly rose and was about to begin its hunt. Its six bloodthirsty eyes piercing into the prey that is all of us.

Sorry, but I won’t be letting you have a single person standing here. Everyone’s definitely getting out of this alive.

So please, Goddess of white light, please grant me the power, the power of a Hero, the power to protect everyone—

 

Our death match with the Cerberus continues.

“Haa… haah… Almost, there…”

Its large, sharp fangs and claws have grazed me many times. My whole body is riddled with cuts, and its occasional fire breaths have scalded my skin. But even so, I’ve managed to avoid any direct blows, and with Sakura’s Healing Light cast down at practically miraculous timing, it never got to anything fatal. I can still move, still fight… But me, and everyone else, our exhaustion is severe. Nevertheless, We’ve damaged the Cerberus using all that energy. Slashes from me, Asuna and Natsukawa-san have been engraved on its body uncountable times, making it bloody all over. All three heads are exhaling hoarse breaths, revealing a color of fatigue.

Somehow, we’re all still standing. No one has collapsed yet. But we can’t relax. We’re at our limits just concentrating on the fight, and to make matters worse, the Cerberus is now in a state of a desperate wounded beast.

“—Souma-kun! Watch out, the boss’ mana is going up!”

The one shouting the warning was of course, Takanashi-san. With her Mana Analysis, she can kind of tell when an enemy’s magic gets invoked. It’s all thanks to this skill the we could know in advance when the Cerberus would shoot its flamethrower, and thus had success in defending against, or evading it.

So Takanashi-san raising her voice this time could only be that the Cerberus was attempting to do something different from usual. From around it, I somehow also sensed a slight presence… a presence of mana, I should rather call it.

“Guys, something’s up, get away!”

Tired as they are, Asuna and Natsukawa-san used their respective mobility boosting battle arts without blunder and withdrew. The moment they took distance from the frontlines, the Cerberus drew back its heads and released an extreme roar.

“—oOOOOohn!!”

Instantly, the red fur of the Cerberus dyed in black. Pitch black as if dipped entirely in black ink. Yet its blazing red pupils retained their original glow.

This is getting ugly— I thought instinctively.

“HEY, it’s coming! The fire’s—”

Overshadowing Takanashi-san’s words of warning, all three heads burst out flames. As if, as if it was spitting out every bit of it’s accumulated, seething anger towards us.

“Kuh, it’s going everywhere”

“How do we attack it now!”

The Cerberus bellows its flame in rage. No aim, no nothing, as if submerging everything in hellfire, it spat fire in every which way. As Natsukawa-san correctly observed, we have no way of approaching the layered walls of flame blazing before our eyes.

“GaAAAUuu!”

Instead of attacking, the Cerberus moves blankly ignored us as we have even lost a path of retreat in the torrent of flames. Naturally, it won’t burn in the slightest. The Cerberus nimbly crosses the blazing sea of fire.

Its destination being, none of us in the frontlines, but behind us. Damn, it was aiming for the support team.

“Class Rep![1]”\n“I know— Eis DefanIce Wall!!”

Aiming to put a stop to the rushing Cerberus, Class Rep used her latest ice attribute magic, an area-wide defense magic called Eis Defan. Its magnitude is leagues greater than the self-protection wall of ice made using Eis Shield. It is a giant ice barrier capable of holding at bay even a giant monster the likes of the Cerberus.

And up till now, it was because of this magic that the Cerberus had endured aiming for our rearguard.

“GAAa!!”

But there was no stopping that frenzied, jet-black beast. With immense force, the Cerberus slammed its body into the wall of ice. A large crack spiralled along its surface, and the wall seemed close to crumble.

Bent on demolishing the obstacle, the Cerberus spewed flamethrower from its two peripheral necks, and weighing itself on top, it beat the wall with its forepaws.

“KyaAAAAAAAA!!”

Along with Takanashi-san’s scream of desperation, Class Rep’s Eis Defan is pulverized. Nothing more obstructed the Cerberus.

The walls of flame surrounding us have yet to ease, forbidding any chance of counter-attack. We’re not even 10 meters apart, but a maze of scorch divides us. We have no more time either.

Shit, please, please let me make it. I’m getting there really soon so, please hold on!

“Aaa!? Sakura-chan, run! It’s after you!!”

As Takanashi-san called out, my spine froze. Beyond the flames, I saw the central head of the Cerberus sucking in a noticeably large amount of air. This is when my foreboding changed into conviction.

“SAKURAA—!!”

Something I’d never seen it do in the whole battle, the Cerberus gathered scorching blaze into a point, shooting it as a big fireball. Too fast. The fireball shot and hit at bulletspeed. A pillar of fire rose, grand enough to reach the tall ceiling of this room.

“S-Sakura… no…”

No way, I couldn’t say. I clearly saw how powerful that fireball was. It wasn’t something you could dodge by stepping a bit to the side. And Sakura only had her Lux Shield to defend with. There’s no way she could ward off that level of explosion with a simple shield of light.

“Sakura-chan! Sakura-chaan!”

“Don’t, Kotori! It’s dangerous going there!”

I hear the voices of Class Rep and Takanashi-san from the other side of the flames. It’s at least good that Sakura and those two were standing spaced out… It’s frustrating I can’t consider that lucky.

No, not that, that’s not it. That’s not what I mean.

“N-never…”

Right now, it isn’t the time to lament on my small-mindedness, nor my powerlessness.

“Never, forgive—”

It isn’t even time to grieve for the loss of my cherished little sister.

“— Just you, I’ll never forgive you!!”

Yes, now, right now was time for only revenge. Because I am her brother.

 

<table>

\nI try to do all that but it’s kinda getting ridiculous. Is it though? Aren’t I just stressed? I’ll lie down, then keep translating… Eh, since we’re on the subject of weeb stuff, Iinchou ends most sentences with —wa —da wa, hopefully someone finds that a good thing to know.

[2] So this is the same way they say White God in KnM… snicker

[3] For those not in the know (as in, aren’t reading Kuro no Maou), firstly, whynaze!? Anyway, Oracle Field is like, a staple move from one of the main girls in KnM. And a little before, Nero Lightning, Nero is a character from there too. and he uses dem Light attributes with dat special sword too, also Instant Flash. A lot of parallels, Shaman is like an alternate(?) universe from the KnM stuff. So I’ll bet you, the reader, will have a greater appreciation for this if you read that one also. Yoshi is actually consistent with the TL schedule too, and doesn’t do month-long hiatuses!