『The Dark Legion of Vampurgis』That's their organization's name, it seems…
――After wiping out the black-clad men, Vita-chan, on the verge of death, still gave information about the enemy. They plan to destroy the four major cities and turn them into a pathway for monsters, all under the pretext of giving the same suffering to the mainlanders as the outsiders.
I see. While the mainland is covered by the "Berlin Wall," the cities that exist in between can become holes. Of course, the kingdom knows this and has established knight branch offices to protect them.
However, the number of enemy black mages greatly surpasses that of the branch knights…
"Cough...the number of enemy black mages was completely above the number of knights in the branch...If it wasn't for Kurou-san defeating them, the city would have really fallen...!" Vita praised, barely able to speak. Well, that's appreciated, but…
‘Probably, this incident is not yet over. Muramasa-kun on my waist is still itching.’ It’s satisfied to a certain extent, so I'm not being controlled by force, but he's been screaming since earlier.
――Soul――
‘You're still energetic, huh? You destroyed my body, you know...!’ The sadistic sword is as leisurely as ever. He has a nature that finds "evil souls" such as monsters and black mages particularly delicious.
If we were talking about animals, it would be like the fattest and most well-fed ones being the most delicious.
Even though it has cut down so many people, it’s still screaming, so there must be someone extremely evil nearby. I don't want to fight anymore...my whole body hurts.
"Kurou-san...? Your face looks serious for some reason…"
"Ah...it's just my intuition, but I have a feeling that the turmoil isn't over yet."
"Eh, what do you mean...cough, what happened...?"
Just as Vita asked, people in white military uniforms, the branch's magic knights, came running towards us from the city center, waving their hands. They must have come to support us after hearing the commotion.
"It is Senior Knight Vita-sama and one of them is Iris-sama's disciple, right? Wait, the enemies...have all been defeated!?"
"Did those two really do it by themselves...?"
"And Vita-sama, she's badly injured!"
Upon noticing Vita-chan's condition, some people rushed over with potions in hand. It should be fine if we leave it to them. If we search with them, we should be able to find any remaining enemies hiding nearby.
"Vita, leave the rest to us. You can rest at the medical office in the branch..." Just as I was about to say that, I suddenly realized something.
‘If you cause a commotion at the gate, the knights will come flocking. Then...what about the branch's fighting power!?’
I completely understood the enemy's aim! Thanks to Muramasa, I know that ‘the enemies are still somewhere around here,’ and I can say with confidence!
Pointing towards the branch, I yelled at the knights, "Go back now! This is a 'diversion'! The enemy's target is the Knight's branch!
And in the next moment…
DogoOOOOOOON!
With a loud sound a part of the branch exploded in flames!
‘Just as I thought――!’ In that moment, my legs, sore and painful from being sprained, began to move at lightning speed! To avoid the Kuroud, I climbed up the building once again and raced through the sky of Salem, without considering any danger――! Of course, it was not my own will…
――Munch! Munch! Soul!――
‘Muramasa again, seriously!?’
◆ ◇ ◆
"We've been had. So their real target was here…"
The Knight's branch was unrecognizable. Flames were everywhere in the building, and black smoke rose from the hole in the burnt-out ceiling.
Many knights and staff had turned into burning pieces of flesh. In the midst of this inferno, Hypno, with a dull gray ax in hand, stared at a woman in a tattered state.
"I never thought you would fall to becoming a black mage. The former Mage Knight, 'Karen of the Crimson Blade'?"
"...Shut up. Don't get too familiar with me, Hypno," replied the woman in black with long red hair, sounding annoyed.
Although she has a beautiful appearance, there are severe burn marks on some parts of her face, hands, and visible areas of her clothing.
"You retired due to injury too, didn't you? Don't work hard for such a shitty kingdom. Leave your magical weapons and disappear."
Saying that, Karen
took the knight's sword that had fallen next to her and put it in the small bag on her waist, which was too small compared to her weapon.
However, the sword was sucked into the bag as if it were being pulled into a fourth dimension. Hypno watched the scene with narrowed eyes.
"A storage function that ignores mass... Is that the 'Finn McCool's Magic Bag'? How did you... get your hands on our kingdom’s treasure that had disappeared long ago?"
(Finn McCool's Magic Bag is a legendary item in Irish mythology said to be capable of carrying all of Ireland's treasures, including the magical hound of Culann, and is associated with the hero Finn McCool.)
"I don't know. Anyway, what are you going to do, Hypno? Will you give me your weapons and run away, or will you let my 'Surt' burn you?" (Surt is a fire giant in Norse mythology.)
Karen pointed her flaming sword at Hypno. Heat radiated from the red tip of the sword, tracing from Hypno's chest to lower abdomen. Only the fibers of her clothes were burned, and her white, moist skin was exposed.
"Kuh..."
"A-ha-ha. I've always wanted to see it, and it turns out your body is as beautiful as your face... Unlike me, who was burned by this... kingdom," said Karen, mixed with hatred in her mocking expression.
The heat of the sword increased even more in response to its owner's fury.
"On 'that day' twenty years ago, I ended up as an ugly woman, and you became unable to fight. Nevertheless, you're still serving the Lemuria Empire..."
Her surroundings began to dissolve. While overflowing with intense heat, Karen spoke to her ‘old friend.’
"Hypno! You're just a dirty noble's dog now, aren't you?! If you're going to live such a shitty life, why don't you come with me? Let's fall into black magic together and destroy the empire!"
Hypno slightly widened her eyes at the invitation and quietly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Karen. It's a little too late for that invitation," replied Hypno.
Karen, who didn't understand what was going on, shouted back while scattering flames, "What the hell are you talking about?! What do you mean!?"
Hypno continued, "It's true that I've been heading towards a shitty life. I believed that 'someday this country will surely get better' and continued to serve, but as the mainland became more peaceful, everyone became more and more corrupt. I've been asked to do all sorts of impossible things, and my heart has reached its limit recently."
"But, you know. I met a very wonderful boy named Kurou. He helped me regain my inner light," Hypno strongly believed that with that boy, "the country will definitely get better. He will condemn all the corrupt people and show a shining future.
"So, Karen. I'm sorry, but I can't go with you. I'm not going to destroy this country, I'm going to rebuild it with Kurou!"
"Hypno!"
Karen became furious and reached into her magic bag around her waist. She grabbed a different sword from the flame sword, a ‘Crimson Great Sword.’
"If you're going to be an enemy, I won't show mercy anymore...! I'll kill you!"
"That's... the 'Crimson Bloodstained Blade Dainsleif'...!" One of the weapons taken by Karen from Hypno.
"I know how powerful you were in your prime. So, I'm going to bury you with all my might." Karen swung the sword at Hypno.
"Karen... it's dangerous to have two magic swords at the same time," Hypno warned.
"Shut up! You're done for! I've already killed all the stationed knights. Those who headed toward the gate are probably fighting against Nia's group right now. They might even have been annihilated by now," Karen sneered with a vulgar chuckle.
Hypno pitied her. "You, who were once a knight defending the country, have become like this. Now cry out in fear, Hypno! Let your cute face be painted with terror!"
Karen raised her sword and ruthlessly attacked her former friend. However, Hypno calmly looked up and said, "There's no need for me to be afraid."
"What?!"
"Because, when you're in a tight spot, a hero always comes to save the day."
As her words fell, suddenly, a man descended from above the collapsed building. He wielded a jet-black blade and cut down Karen, who was attacking. Ah, it is him...!
"I’m glad you came, Kurou-kun...!"
"Yeah, leave the rest to me."
――The black-haired knight has arrived...!
