256-Attack on Shitenji ⑥




 One of his companions who had attacked Shitenji stabbed a large sword into the ground with an arm that was swollen with muscle from the sleeveless leather garment and yawned as he placed his arm on its hilt.

'What? You sent this little fish over here. We've been licked, too.

'Kaizen! That sword is in trouble!

I know! I don't need this one, you need to focus on that one!

 Tsukasa Tendou and Mirage Kaizono, with their backs to each other, stare at the oddly atmospheric assailants in front of each of them.
 In front of Kaizono is a man handling a large sword, and in front of Tsukasa stands a man with cocked cheeks who is using two harpies, two demonic beasts with both arms in the air above his sides, both arms in the form of wings and the lower half of his body in the form of a bird, in front of Tsukasa.

''Hmph, are you stalling us? Or are you here to have a real go at it? At any rate, you've drawn the wrong lottery. It's a pity for a young man.

 The two men surrounding Kaizono and Tsukasa are smiling bitterly at each other in an attitude that doesn't seem like they are in the middle of a battle.
 In contrast, Kaizono and Tsukasa, who are serious themselves, are exchanging whispers without taking their eyes off the other party.

''........What should we do? Kaizen. These guys aren't just anything, are they?

'I can't help it, my boss told me to do it. You've got to do it.

''Haha~ How did this happen? If Kaizen hadn't told me that he's going to participate in the big festival, too.......

Oh, shut up! Either way, though, they'll be the ones you'll be fighting one day. It's the difference between fighting them here and fighting them later.


 A few minutes before this.
 At the direction of the Sword Saint Alfred, I was told to come to this place to hit the marauders who appeared near the mansion where the participants of the Grand Festival were staying. Then, they immediately found these marauders who were moving without hiding their appearance. And the direction they were heading was definitely in the direction of the bleachers where the heavyweights of Shitenji were.
 As soon as Kaizono and Tsukasa discovered them, they immediately set up on these attackers.
 When Tsukasa, who had kept his distance from the front, took out a protective amulet from the belt around his own body and threw it across the entire surface of the air and deployed a warding technique to slow down his opponent's movements, Kaizono leapt sideways with tremendous instantaneous force and released multiple shuriken from the sides of these two attackers.
 The breathtaking coordination of these two was clearly going to be a surprise attack that took the opponent by surprise.......it should have been.
 However, the attackers didn't even seem to be in a hurry to respond to the surprise attack, they continued to walk, and a harpy suddenly appeared to cut off the protective amulet attached to the sky above them, followed by a man with a large sword on his back who grabbed the hilt of the large sword and swung it around like a twig, and the wind pressure deflected the trajectory of the shuriken fired by Kaien.
 The two men's eyes widened at how easily the attack was blocked, but they quickly moved out of the way and tried to prepare for the next attack. However, the enemy was much quicker than that.
 The man with the large sword stood in front of Kaizono's very attempt to move, and two harpies attacked Tsukasa with the sharp claws of both legs.
 Giving up on coordination with this enemy's movement, the two men rushed into battle individually, Kaizono clashing violently with the man with the great sword and Tsukasa with the two harpies.
 And now, it was safe to say that the two of them had been forced into a situation where they were surrounded by their attackers.

 Tsukasa stared at the hollow-cheeked man with the harpy in tow.

(Apparently, this man seems to be a magic-based contractor. Does this mean that that harpy is not summoned but obeyed? No wonder his judgment in battle is so flexible. Moreover, this man is also lean and tough in his positioning. (It seems that Kaizen is also struggling...)

'Kaizen, one on one is not a good match. We have to take it to two against one somehow. Make that chance with your illusions.

That's all I can do. I've got my hands full with that guy for now. It's just like Tsukasa said, that sword of his is in pretty bad shape. Before you know what it's like, even a scratch could be fatal.

'Then let's get together and move. I'll invite you to get into a successful melee, and if we get into a two-on-one situation for a moment, I'll set it up. Then I'll ask you to do so.

Okay.

 The man with the big sword who had been watching their whispered exchange grinned.

''Hey, are you two done consulting? Well then, let's do this. I'm still getting used to this sword, so I'm sorry if the odds are against you in an instant. Your plan will be in vain. Oh, hey, you forgot to tell me your name. I'm Doberk, and that unhealthy-looking one over there is Marinos, well, just for the short time that you're dead, remember that. You guys want to die knowing at least who killed you, don't you?

 With a jovial and frankly disconcerting smile, Doberk drew his large sword and pointed it at Kaien and his friends. In response, Kaien also held two daggers in both hands and held them ready.

''Hmm, you're looking good, old man. We don't have a name, though. We don't have a name to teach the bad guys.

'Old man! You little bastard! A bit of a spanking, then!

 On the signal of this, the Doberk comes furiously attacking. At the same time, the Harpy that Marinos is following in front of Tsukasa also surges up into the sky and approaches Kaizono and Tsukasa from above, as if to match the Doberk.

''We're over a hundred years old, old man, but it's okay.

And Marinos sighed and

Shit! Why does Kaien only do things to provoke the other party!

 And Tsukasa let out a loud dumbfounded cry.
 Kaizono and Tsukasa started to run sideways together against Doberk's rush. That's to avoid the situation of being sandwiched between the Marinos.
 It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you can get your hands on it. The amulet stops as if stuck in the air, and a rectangular web of spiritual power appears at the point of the four amulets. The Harpy is then entangled in that net and its movements are restricted.

''Ho........''

 Marinos was impressed by the tact of the Tsukasa.
 However, during this time, Doberk, who was dislodged to the side, fleshed out Kaizono and the others with sharp steps while raising his great sword above his shoulder.
 In response, Kaizono turned his body around and turned his body towards Doberk with a backward run. That run, regardless of whether it's a back run or not, is no different in speed than a normal sprint.
 Doberk swings down a large sword. In response, Kaien crossed his dagger to catch it.

''Han! That's a bad move, kid!

 Doberk didn't care to put his strength and weight on the big sword. It is not something that can be caught by such a dagger, this sword.
 Doberk's sword, with the entire dagger, slices through Kaizono's head to waist in a single slice.

''What!''

 But ... Doberk's eyes widened. Because, he didn't feel that he had cut too much. Immediately, Doberg understood that what he had cut was an illusion.
 Then, before I knew it, Kaizono and Tsukasa disappeared from the scene and positioned themselves on the left side of the front from Doberg's point of view and turned their bodies towards us.
 Doberk realized that these two were clearly trying to set something up, and at the same time, he also grasped the position they and we were in.
 It was himself, Harpy, and Marinos lined up in a straight line from the point of view of Kaizen and Tsukasa.

(You're trying to attack us all together! (So that's a big move!)

 As soon as he can, Doberk turns the flat of his great sword and takes a defensive stance, trying to protect his entire body.
 The attack comes. Doberk is a bold man, but he's not one to lick his opponent. He concentrates his entire body's spiritual power on the front of his body to further increase his own defense.
 
 The attack came. However, the attack did not come from the left side of the front.
 Now, the five pieces of protection that flew in from the right side of Doberk's right side floated evenly spaced above his head, taking away the freedom of Doberk's body below him.

''Muu! So that was an illusion too!

 Doberk didn't know when it was an illusion and when it was real. For the first time in this battle, Doberk got chills and goosebumps.
 Then, Kaizono jumped in from the right side as well. Kaien landed both feet on his right shoulder to stick to Doberk, and swung down to stab Doberk's neck with both daggers in his hands.
 However, at that very moment when the dagger enters Doberk's body, Kaizono's own semicircular canal goes haywire. Kaizono lost sight of up and down and left and right as the surroundings gwangwang turned.

''Is it the Harpy's ultrasound! Ha!

 After assessing the situation, Tsukasa released more protection and protected Kaizen from its ultrasound.
 However, in this small amount of time, Doberk has adjusted his stance. The fist gripping Doberk's great sword becomes strong. Kaizen quickly leaps back and lands next to Tsukasa.

''Tch.......I was so close....

 Doberk puts his hand on the tip of his own neck, where blood is flowing, and turns his sharp gaze on Kaizono and Tsukasa. When they received that gaze, both Kaizono and Tsukasa felt a cold sensation run down their spines and made their faces tighten. That's how much spirit there was in Doberk.
 However, Doberk gradually began to shake his shoulders and finally began to laugh loudly.

''Hahaha! You guys are awesome! No, I'm serious! I've been taken for a ride here!

 Then Marinos comes up to him in a daze.

'What are you laughing at? You've made my little harpy disappear. What are you going to do about it?

 Apparently, the Harpy's ultrasonic attack had put a great deal of strain on the Harpy, and once it was released, the Harpy had disappeared.

'No, sorry, Marinos. But your contracted outsiders are still full of them, aren't they?

That's not the point.

 Kaizono and Tsukasa's expressions were hard as they watched the exchange.

''Kaizono, I remember one thing.''

What are you doing, Tsukasa?

'I'm talking about these two. These are two people with abilities that once made a name for themselves in this world. I've been stuck on them for a while now, but now I'm sure of it.

Once...? Are they that famous?

''Yes. These are the fierce men who were active about 100 years ago.

A hundred years ago?

'Kaizen, let's change the way we fight a bit. We are not going to die here. We are willing to put our lives on the line, but that is not the case here. Right now, it's better to wait for Shitenji's reinforcements or the boss to arrive. And if you just wait, you may get jittery. Move towards the bleachers as you fight your way to the bleachers. There will be more allies over there, and Shitenji will have no choice but to move.

 Kaizono turned around in surprise at Tsukasa's suggestion, but the expression on Tsukasa's face was not simply that of a mortal man afraid of death, but a determination to fulfill his own purpose.

''I understand. There's no one way to fight anything. If you go that way, these guys might be easier to beat. But hey, that's a Herculean task, isn't it? Moving against these guys.

Of course I'm prepared to do that.

 When he said that, Tsukasa nodded with a serious face.
 Then Doberk raised his voice in a good mood.

''Hey, I'll forgive you for calling me an old man, in spite of your fighting skills earlier. And hey, you can let him off the hook here, okay? It's not like we're here for you guys this time. We just want to kill all the people who are connected to the Shitennji family.

"...and...?

 Both Kaizono and Tsukasa were surprised by Doberk's unexpected suggestion.

''Doberk........doing that kind of thing again.

But I have a condition. You have to be stronger than that. He's too good to kill in here, boys.

What? Do you think I'm an idiot? That's a lot of upside down!

 Kaizen is languid.

'Hey, hey, I think this is a good deal for you guys. You know what I mean? When I'm as good as you guys!

!

 The area immediately vibrates. It's not a natural phenomenon. It's the spiritual power that Dobek emits that makes it so.
 Both Kaizono and Tsukasa's complexion changed, no, they had no choice but to change. There was that much depth and weight in Dobek's spiritual power.

''I also don't want to kill you guys in a battle that relies on this [Darnslave] replica.

 The look of a fierce man of war that Doberk showed. That's what he felt for his boss, the Sword Saint.
 Silence for a moment.
 But this silence was broken.
 It was broken by a third party voice that wasn't here.

''Oooh, what is it? That's a fancy spiritual power.

!

!

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! Why are you talking to the enemy? You're supposed to avoid this place and get them to safety right away!

 Akika shouted at him with a change in blood, and Tenchanko and Tatazo scratched their heads while carrying Hero on their shoulders.

''Oh, right! No, this was the shortest way. Inadvertently.

''Akihana-san.......I knew you shouldn't trust this person. He's a peeping tom, you know?

 Kotone doesn't seem to fit in with Ten-chan's physiology, and she's feeling uncomfortable.

So, with that in mind, you guys can fight here. So let's go.

 Akika's group tried to walk past the place as if nothing had happened.
 Then, Doberk raised his voice as if he was huffing and puffing.

''Hey, wait. What are you guys? No, you! The guy in the joke mask over there. You think you're going to let me go that easily?

 Akika exhaled heavily.

''That's true, isn't it?''

Yeah? My name is Ten-chan, and I'm 20 years old. What do you want? Kid.

"I'm the one who should be called the little boy... What a day this is. And you're an old man. Well, I came this close to you without you noticing. Have some fun!

 Everyone felt the illusion that Doberk's super-heavy spiritual power had popped and an explosion sounded around them.

''Old man! I don't know who or what part of the world you're talking about, but I know what I'm talking about! It's going to be the most fun I've had with you in a long time!

 Doberk approached Sumazo with a happy expression and swung the replica of the divine sword Darn Slave from the top stage.