Well, um...

　The one who reluctantly raised her hand was Sugiura Aya. She was the class's cooking duty, now she was a Scylla girl. It's about time I started to miss her homemade cooking, Kyousuke thought.

'Let me tell you something, I can't fight like that, okay?　I'm not getting any stronger...
''Eh, not really! Aya, the other day, when a customer went berserk the other day, with an octopus hold....
Okay. Hanazono, let's shut up for a minute.

　Hana Hanazono Hana was about to say something, but Sugiura did a great octopus hold.

　Of course, as Kyousuke, he doesn't want to force himself. But it's true that he wants as many of his friends to help him as possible.
　It's not clear how many forces are stationed at that base, but there's probably at least one person who is comparable to Luke and the Imperial Clockwork Alliance class. And a few pawns. That's about as far as I can put my expectations. But it was unlikely that there would be enough strength to bump into on that street, namely Luke's Shakko, Koganei, Cyclops, and Bishop's Akeno and all of them. There are one or two strong opponents to collide with.

'Utsurogi, do you have a concrete plan?

　Goubayashi asks, crossing his arms.

'It depends on what kind of guy comes up first...'

　Kyousuke put a hand to his chin and pondered.

''Well, we lost without an arm and a leg, you know.
''Me and Rin were forced to be separated. We couldn't hit any attacks, and we couldn't win the battle of strength.......

　It's frustrating, but it's true that they had enough power to smash the chemistry head on.
　If it's Bishop's Akeno, there's a way to attack, and if Koganei comes out, it's a different story. The problem was if the force guarding the base was Luke's Shakko, or Cyclops met. Only in regards to this pattern, Kyousuke doesn't have the confidence to break through on his and Rin's strength alone.
　Luke's power is especially powerful. Kyousuke has also seen the terrain around him change just by going head-to-head with Filhana. And perhaps, arm strength (that) isn't the only ability Luke has. When he was attacked by another individual Luke at sea before, he was covered in a black fighting spirit.
　The trouble is that Cyclops is also a troublemaker. Her power is only touched by a glimpse, but she has a vast range of vision and a powerful rifle. She's a thin-armed, thin-lined woman, but her shoulders are robust as well, seeing as she can wield an anti-material rifle without a care in the world and bang it out without standing.

'I'm going.'

　With his arms crossed, Kenzaki says.

'I was just thinking that Utsurogi was right, getting beaten up all the time was not in my nature.
What is Kenzaki's Phase 2 ability?
Me?　Huh..., I am.

　Kenzaki's head, which was on top of his neck, was about to fall to the ground with a slight shake, so Zekou hurriedly picked it up.

''Kenzaki's ability is 《Mind's Eye》. You can see the enemy's appearance without looking at them. I can see their movements.''
That's not all. It's Dullahan's ability to see past his opponent's death line.

　To Goubayashi's words, Kenzaki proudly adds to them. ''Hmph,'' he sniffs, and is in a rather good mood.

I see. I understand. Can I ask again about everyone's abilities?''

　Kyousuke looked up and looked around at them all.

'If you don't come up with any strange ideas on that, forget about my current sleep talk. I won't deny that I said it in the heat of the moment, and if even one of these people is going to die, I think it's a meaningless story.
This is a very strange fisherman talking like that.

　Okumura nodded with deep emotion.

'All right, Utsurogi,' he said, 'I will explain to you what we can do, one by one. I will explain what we can do, one by one, to you. Is that all right with you, Sugiura?
What, oh, me?　Why me?

　Aya Sugiura's eyes widened in surprise and she nodded her head.

''I thought you were the leader over there, no?''
Yes.

　Masuyo Uozumi placed her hands on Sugiura's shoulders and winked at her. Her shoulders were covered with suckers, so Uozumi's hands were stuck to her as hard as they could be.
　Sugiura punched Uozumi with his octopus feet and sighed as he crossed his arms.

I don't know what to do. Well, I want to lend a hand as much as I can to Utsurogi-kun if he bows down.

　As it was, her eyes looked at Kyousuke (and Rin) from the front.

''Utsurogi-kun has changed too, hasn't he? The fact that you, who was rotting in the cafeteria, that you can't be of any use to anyone, that you can say such big words. I'm going to help you. We're classmates.
"Sugiura....
You've worked so hard all this time. You've been working hard.

　With those words, Kyousuke felt as if he had been rewarded.
　It was as if he felt as if he had been proven that what he had done so far was not in vain.

　You can see that Inugami is looking at you with eyes that seem to say, 'I told you so. That's right. My classmates have seen themselves fighting single-mindedly for several months since I transitioned over here. Even though they're saying such reckless things, they've been shaking their heads, smoothly.
　That's why Kyousuke felt he couldn't waste their intentions or their lives.

　In response to Kyousuke, Goubayashi takes a step forward with a great deal of effort.

''Start with me. Gourin Motomune. As you know, Phase 2 is the Combat Awakening. It's used to strengthen your physical abilities and to strike a non-corporeal opponent. I don't have any new powers, but I've been training steadily. Please take care of me.
'Oh, yeah...'

　The next person to step out was Saruwatari, who was next to Goubayashi.

''It's Saruwatari Futa!　The Phase 2 ability is the Vibration Manipulation. You can control the vibrations of objects and gases to fight!　Also, you can call me Kindoon or something like that. My favorite team is the Hiroshima Carp, and my favorite word is youth!
I know that.
Nice to meet you!

　After Sarutoyo, Kenzaki again, and then Okumura, Mushikasa, and finally Zekou also introduced themselves.
　When this team finished, Sugiura's team also told us about their own abilities one after another. Some of them seemed to look different from before somehow in their words and actions. Perhaps, like Yukinoshita, they have even overcome one of their own walls. All of their abilities were unique and reassuring.

''I'll introduce this group as well. The ones left are Gozashiki and Hatano, and the rest are Inugami and Rin.

　Ozashiki's ability is "Increased Luck" and Kano's power is "Barrier Deployment". Both are for support.

　If he used the abilities of his friends who joined here well, or maybe even destroyed Luke, it might be possible to defeat him. There was a part of me that had to take a gamble, but it was worth it. Above all, as I said before, if we left the enemy unattended, this city could be attacked again.

First, we need to find out where the enemy is hiding. As for where their base is...
"Tsurugin, you were fighting a pawn, right?
Hmm?　Mm......

　Kenzaki nodded.

''I asked Inugami-san to trace the scent from there........Ah, but if I defeat them, they'll turn to ashes, right, blood family.......'' Are there any clues left?''
'Then don't worry about it, fatty.

　Okumura interrupted from the side with a straight face.

'Kenzaki let the pawn go, fatty.
Huh......... ........sorry.

　Kenzaki immediately put his hands on his head and rubbed his neck on the ground. His head rolled around.

''Ah, talking so big......... You haven't changed........

　Uozumi's sister also looks at Kenzaki with a bit of a dumbfounded look in her eyes.
　What Kyousuke doesn't quite understand about the situation is that Kenzaki apparently engaged the pawn to escape Rin and Inugami and got away with it. The pawn escaped, which means Kenzaki was more than evenly matched with it, which in itself is a story of her growth, though.

　According to Okumura, the pawn had apparently escaped to the north. If they even knew the direction, the location of the base could be determined by Inugami following the scent of the factor. The time was past dusk. It's just gradually getting dimmer. Eventually it would be nighttime, but it wasn't something to relax about.
　It was decided that the huge plants controlled by Hanazono would be used to move. It's that giant tomato that came from the east and destroyed the city walls. They said it was Ultimate Roger #3. That frail Roger, which had once been the material for minestrone, had become quite magnificent.

　Kyousuke looked at Lesvon, who was spying on us at a little distance there.

Lesbons!　Can you tell me a few things?
Hmm, ah..... What is it?

　The army of monsters in the place followed Kyousuke's gaze and looked at Lesbons in a row. He trembled for a moment, but he was not in the least bit distraught. This place must be very scary for a human being, but he is a tough-minded adventurer.

''What's the plan for the Adventurer's Association after this?　So the city was attacked, right?
''Hmm........ It's probably the first time since Zelneus was created that the city walls have been broken down itself.......

　Lesvon puts his ship arm in his hand and thinks for a while.

The disposal of Wyvern's corpse and an estimate of the damage........ If we were to do it first, that's what we should do. I'm sure they'll also be looking into the cause of Wyvern's outburst, but I'm sure Utsurogi and the others have a good idea, right?

　The one eye stares at Kyousuke intently.

　They have a good idea, in fact, Kyousuke and the others already know the correct answer. The reason why the wyvern went out of control and attacked this city was planted by the blood race, and perhaps the blood race came after Kyousuke and the others. Whether or not we will be able to figure out what happened to the wyvern's corpse by observing it in detail is a mystery.
　In the first place, if Wyvern's body had been turned into a blood race, it would return to ashes in not too long.

''........Wait.

　Kyousuke looked at Wyvern's corpse lying nearby and suddenly thought to himself. Lesvon gave him a quizzical look.

'What's wrong?'
No...... It's nothing, thanks.

　At this point, the plan was already in place in Kyousuke's mind. He called everyone together and butted heads.

''For now, let's get out of here while the city is in chaos. If we find out that a bunch of monsters without permission are lurking inside, there will be a big mess.
Oh, I remember this being a human city.

　Sugiura said now.

'Come to think of it, Tsurugin and Okumura-kun were already in the city, right? How did you get in?''
"The fat man who took advantage of the chaos to tear down the walls.
'That's what a publican does...'
'It was an emergency!　You don't have a choice!　In fact, we saved Himemizu and Inugami!
Well, if you've done that, then we should get out of here even sooner...

　Sugiura and the others also came in by tearing down the eastern wall of the city. At this time, it was better to put all the blame on the blood clan and tonsure them quickly. After that, he would once again enter the city proudly as a monster brought by the adventurers. Fortunately, the adventurer's permit is in the possession of Goshiki.
　It would be difficult to rely on Lesvon and Rain any more. They also have a position. What Kyousuke and the others are trying to do from here is too risky. I can't let them go along with that.

　Kyousuke cleared his throat again and said.

'So, how do we get in and defeat the enemy...'



　Not a single wyvern returned to the blood clan's base set up at the foot of the Beast King's Great Volcano. Thanks to this, Luke's shakko is in a very bad mood. The pawn, who often talked to him as Wyvern's caretaker, had to be scared and anxious.
　She was roughly the one who had been preparing and caring for Wyvern. This pawn was a pawn who had originally inherited the factor as a "child" of Bishop Akeno. Many pawns who have been trained by Akeno have studied factors and demonic ecology, and she is no exception to this rule.

　All of the prepared blood-transformed wyverns are individuals with the Shakko factor embedded in them. As such, they accept Shakko's control. Through the remote control of the factor, the wyverns acted as Shakko's hands and feet and attacked the city south of here.
　Linking their senses, Shakko intended to enjoy the "hunt", but something unexpected happened. But the unexpected happened. As a result, the wyvern was wiped out and Shakko was in a bad mood.

"Well, what should we do...

　Shakko muttered in a voice that was chilling at the bottom.

　Among the blood clan's pawns, the fighting ability of the Queen and Luke, in particular, is outstanding and terrifying.
　If only Wyvern, as well as Shakkow himself, had left, this outcome would not have happened. But the pawn didn't have the courage to advise him of that. In the first place, even she hadn't expected that the dozen or so wyverns who had turned into blood relatives would be wiped out.

　Shakko herself had planned to attack them after moving the wyvern to flush out their targets. But from the time he flushed them out to the time when the wyvern was wiped out, or in other words, the time between the time they developed an unexpected situation, was short.

''I, can we leave now...?''
No, no, no.

　I asked fearfully, but what came back was a surprising response.

It's not enough to cause a riot, but it's not worth going to the city of adventurers to make a big deal out of it. The data of the blood-formed wyvern has been obtained. The data of the blood-formed wyvern is obtained, so we have to wait until the king gives the order.

　Should this attitude be called prudent? Pawn doesn't know.
　Even though it's the only one of the targets that has the bloodline factor embedded in it, that skeleton certainly doesn't have that much tactical value. As long as he has taken in the royal fragment once, it's possible that some kind of change has occurred in his body, and that's a concern, but once the wyvern has been wiped out, it may not be enough to send in additional forces, certainly not.

　Just as I was thinking that, the door to the room opens and another pawn enters.

'Shakko-sama, one wyvern has returned!
...What?

　Shakko wrinkled his brow and asked back.

'The return of Wyvern!　Will you confirm?
'Hmm, uh.... Yeah, I guess. We'll see.

　Shakko looked like he didn't seem to get it there, but eventually he nodded and followed the pawn out of the room. The remaining female pawn followed her. It was her job to keep and manage the wyvern.
　But it's odd. All of the blood-transformed wyverns released into the city should have been shut down for life. That's what Shakko's mouth tells us, linking factor reactions. It can't be a zombie, either, since a dead blood family is one that crumbles to ashes and crumbles into tatters.

　But when we moved to Wyvern's breeding facility, there was indeed one individual, a blood-formed individual, in chains.

'It seems that this individual is the only one that survived........ What on earth happened........''

　The pawn who came to report is muttering with a mysterious look on his face, but Shakko still has an uncomprehending look on his face.

　The wyvern that was brought in was much more mature. Shakko's expression was grim as he stared at that flying dragon. As far as I can see, it was one of the individuals that had been turned into a blood clan. The blood-colored eyes and sharp fangs are also the characteristics of the blood-formed individual.

''Hey.........''

　Shakko muttered in a very unhappy voice.

'You brought something unnecessary in here...'
What...?
Well, I guess it's a relief to save you the trouble...?

　The pawn who had come to report, now turned around with a puzzled look on his face.
　At that very moment, a roar and tremor hit the entire base.

''Whoa.''
Huh!

　The two pawns almost lose their balance involuntarily, but only Shakko is calm. The tremors have quickly subsided, but the roar continues to stand. It's coming from the entrance. The pawns scowled, unable to understand what the hell was going on.

'Is it an intruder...!　No way, the Empire got wind of our location...!

　The pawn on the man's side crawled his gaze impatiently and turned his eyes to Shakko for help. But this Luke's eyes were cold to all intents and purposes. He already understands roughly what is happening.

　Bushu.

　There was a sound like a liquid popping, and Wyvern's neck in chains burst open.

''!

　Faster than the woman pawn can comprehend, it jumps out of the cleft neck and swiftly pierces the man's chest. The man, who wasn't even wearing promotional armor, was crushed to death by the blow. It was only in the moment of his death that he finally seemed to realize what he had brought to this place.

　With a thud, it pulls its arm out of the man's chest. As the semi-liquid body moves fluidly, the intruder glares at Shakko and the female pawn with its raging twin eyes.
　Wyvern's body, this time, crumbles to ashes. As we had originally suspected, Wyvern is long dead. The one who had been misled into believing that he was sustaining life activity and forcing his body to move under the force of the factor must be the one in front of him now.

''Are you the only one here, Luke's Shakko...!

　"It," he said, not at all intimidated by Shakko in front of him. Shakko gave a small snort.

'Well, I don't know. Why did you bother to get in when I was about to miss it all the way?

　"It" slowly reaches into its own body. When he clenched his fist, a sword was pulled out of his body. The barrel of the sword seems to heat up, and eventually it turns bright red.
　To Shakko's question, the answer was simple.

'I'm going to take you down.'

　As if in tune with those words, an extra-loud roar echoed through the base.



　First, they smashed through the entrance wall, then the door to the stairs leading to the basement, and then the wall, and they all collapsed into the base in an avalanche. The pawn standing guard fell silent in a flash. There was no longer any need to consider anything. They were a regiment of fools now. Anything that stood in their way would be screwed over with arm strength.
　The base that Inugami tracked down by following the scent of the factor was a small dugout to look at, but there was a relatively large space in the basement. The white-painted, clean walls and floor were reminiscent of a modern research facility. The ceiling was equipped with fluorescent lights, illuminating the corridors with a gleaming light.

'Inugami, follow the smell of Utsurugi!

　Goubayashi nods at their cries, and Inugami jumps out in front of them all.

　Kyousuke and Rin have already entered the facility, disguised as Wyvern. Presumably, that's where the person commanding this base is located. It's the role of Goubayashi and the others to rush there and act according to the plan Kyousuke has set up.
　Perhaps they noticed the presence of the intruders, the alarm is sounding in the corridor. The equipment seems to be very "back-world" nized. However, the shutters that are being lowered to block the intruders' path are meaningless in front of them.

"Whoa!　DSOCOO!

　Okumura hit the papier-mâché and the bulkhead blew away easily. But beyond the bulkhead, there was a line of pawns lined up side by side with guns (...) at the ready.

'Let's go, Trousseau!
Okay, okay, check.

　Salmonichiro Uozumi and Masuyo's siblings were the first to jump out to the front of the group.

''Ooohhhh!

　The scales on Salmon Ichiro's entire body stood up sharply against him. Both eyes took on a suspicious glow, and the silhouette on the wall transformed into a more deformed form. It was a terrifying oddity, as if it reminded me of the abyssal abyss lurking in the depths of the ocean.
　It has a long, thick, lumbering body with scales covered in seaweed and barnacles. A large, gaping mouth. It seems to be a condensation of all the awe of the sea and land creatures.

　As soon as the pawns saw Salmon Ichiro's figure, their bodies went rigid, but they had already pulled the trigger. Salmon Ichiro's massive body, with its robust outer skin, is a wall against the rain of bullets.
　Masuyo was sitting on the head of that Salmon Ichiro. As she raised her hand, water created out of nowhere, a beautiful stringed instrument (harp) took shape in her arms. As Trousseau opened her mouth as she strummed the strings, a beautiful, out-of-this-world singing voice echoed through the narrow passage.

　It was the voice of the devil, the voice of a demon that confused sailors and lured ships to their doom. But it did not reach the surrounding ears of the raiding party due to Sarutoyo's vibration control. Their surroundings were temporarily cut off from the vibrations of the air. While the pawns held their heads down and slumped, they all slipped past the side and ran through the passage.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that there are a lot of people who have been in the same situation. Wait, wait.........!

　One of the pawns, who was only slightly conscious, tried to aim the raiding party from the back with his gun at the ready, but he was played by Salmon Ichiro's huge fins and bounced around the walls of the passage like a pinball.

''You still like the song better?　The "Troutmaster

　When Masuyo had finished singing one song, the deformed Salmon Ichiro asked.

'Yeah..... After all, I'm going to quit the swimming club and join the chorus club when I get home. I'll even grow my hair long.
That's good. My father and my mother would understand if I told them the truth.

　For now, we must clean up the remaining pawns in this passage.
　Now that Masuyo's "Magic Song" has weakened them, Salmon Ichiro alone is enough to deal with them. His Phase 2 ability is essentially the same as Ryuzaki's "Complete Dragonization". "It is a glimpse of the power of the King God, which can only be attained because he is a direct race of the King of the Sea.
　The sea god lurking in the abyss, Salmon Ichiro, who borrowed the form of the king of the deep, made his body dance in the passage while listening to his sister's singing voice.



''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　A flash of Kenzaki's side-napper severed the bulkhead. But at that point, another pawn unit was already closing in from behind.
　Even with his current strength, there is no problem to take on the pawns, but considering that the master of this base is relative to Kyousuke, he can't take any extra time. Kenzaki regripped his sword with both hands and turned to face the pawns.

''Goubayashi!　You guys need to get ahead of yourselves!
Mm, I'll take care of him then.

　Without the slightest bit of hesitation, the gourd palms hurried ahead.

''What? Oh, there's not a single one left!　No, I'd be totally fine with this level of.........................but!

　For now, Kenzaki released his own head behind him to get out of the way. Eyes are a hindrance. Look at the enemy with your mind's eye.
　There are about three enemies. There are three pawns. That's quite a lot. It's possible to defeat them all with the assistance of a companion, but as expected, it's a tough one to take on alone. Kenzaki's ability is originally designed to be used as a taylor.

　However, before I told you to leave it to me, I won't retreat.

　Kenzaki Megumi was a short-sighted and hard-headed woman. She was a narrow-minded person who judged what was in front of her intuitively and tried to make things black and white. That might not change now.
　But he could have changed a little.
　Now Kenzaki had no hesitation in running down the corridor or smashing down the walls.
　It was because he knew that there were plenty of things that were important and right.

''........Mm!

　Kenzaki sheathed his sword once. He intercepted the pawns as they charged at him with their guns at the ready.
　The bullets dug into the armor and the impact hit the body. But even so, Kenzaki is not frightened. Sheathing his sword, he grabs the hilt and starts running. The headless Fujinami ran through the passage in a straight line, aiming at the opponent he was looking at with his mind's eye.

''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　Kenzaki's signature move is the pull-out body. She exposes her body to a hail of bullets, closes the distance at once, and releases her sword with a drawn sword.
　In the end, the sword muscle was knocked into the pawn's body, tracing the "dead line" that Kenzaki had seen for sure. It was easier than cutting paper, as Kenzaki's slash cut off a fragile spot in the armor, which was supposed to be robust, and cut both sides of the pawn's body. The man's body, which was split in half up and down, burst into the passage.

''Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

　The returning blade was grasped in both hands and swung down in one swift kasaya, and the blow was effective against the second pawn as well.

　Kenzaki had fought the Blood Clan many times before.
　The first time, he was easily overrun; the second time, too, he was helpless; the third time, with the help of his friends, he was finally able to kill one wounded pawn.
　The fourth time, they cornered him, but he got away.

　And now, on the fifth, he cut off his torso, and on the sixth, he split it into a kesa.

　The headless commissar's fine performance was colored by return blood.

　But the third one. He couldn't respond in time. Bullets rain down on the headless Kenzaki's body again. A hole is left in the dented chest armor (cuirass), and blood splashes through it. The sword has been removed from Kenzaki's arm. The counterattack fades away.
　At that moment, Kenzaki's mind's eye caught another sign in this space. It was slowly coming around behind the third pawn, but the pawn didn't show any pretense of noticing. Kenzaki instantly sensed its intentions and played the role of a deadly intruder dancing on a bullet.

　Kenzaki's head is rolled to one side of the aisle, and he sees the world through the light. There certainly seemed to be only two people there, the body of Kenzaki being shot and the pawn who was shooting.
　However, if you look hard enough, you become aware of the slyly moving scenery. Immediately after that, countless feet (...) that blended perfectly into the background wrapped around the pawn from behind. Kenzaki had seen this in an animal show. It was the movement of an octopus that changed its body color at will and blended its body into its surroundings as it caught its prey.

''Gah!''

　The pawn screams. At the same time, Sugiura, who had released his mimicry, had tied up the pawn's body with his octopus legs.

''Tsurugin!
Yes!

　Kenzaki's body picked up the sword she had removed. Her sharp thrust was unleashed without missing a beat, aimed at the pawn's vital point.



'Beat me?'

　Following Kyousuke's words, Shakko said with a sneer.

'Don't be stupid. Are you going to waste your hard-earned help?　That crow-brained crow-brained goblin can't get going either.

　The enemy's attitude is one of generosity. That's just as well. The difference in strength between them is overwhelming. And this is not something that can be filled in by overnight efforts.
　If the enemy in front of you has the slightest whim, or even this base itself could be blown up. That's why Kyousuke hadn't set it off yet during this time. He would take his time until the last minute to catch the enemy off guard. Kyousuke's job was to nail the leader of this stronghold to a single point and take advantage of the early stages of the battle.

　The female pawn, so close to Shakko, was a concern, though.
　She was not yet wearing her battle black armor. It should be easy to take her down, but there was no sign of her trying to set her up.

'Well, it's a nice story if you came from there. Let me take it as a souvenir.

　Haha, not long after Kyousuke does, Shakko's figure disappears. Immediately after, he felt a horrifying presence behind him.

''Uraaah!''

　Shakko's fist was thrust in with great force. At that moment, it was Rin's consciousness that chose to act defensively.
　She liquefied her body and made a hole in the shape of Shakko's fist. As it was, it spread out to the floor as if to pop, and moved as if to slide. He got some distance and returned to human form again.

　His fist wore a black fighting spirit. If he was hit by that blow, there was a possibility that he wouldn't be able to get away with it even in a liquefied state.

''Olaaaaaa, what's the matter with you!

　Shakko's pursuit is relentless. Kyousuke desperately dodges the attack, taking care not to touch his fist. There's still no chance of turning into an attack at all. Even if you are on the defensive, you don't know how long it will last. This is a battle on the edge.
　Yes, it's a fight. It's not an easy hunt where you get hit one way or the other. It's a battle to keep it from being that way.

　You can see the enemy's breathing. Adapt to your opponent's movements and take evasive action. In terms of physical flexibility, this extreme cross is second to none. But even so, Luke's shakko is still not serious.

''d*mn, that's boring.''

　Shakko tells him to spit. He stopped in his tracks, and black fighting spirit swirled around his arms.

''Since you're going to beat me, I thought you'd pull some kind of hidden gem.... I'm disappointed, man.

　The fighting spirit soon enveloped the entire room, making the air tremble. It's going to unleash a blow from which there is no escape. Kyousuke had a hunch. But he couldn't show his back here. What I can do is to delay that blow, even for a moment. If you want to attack, now is the time to do it.

''Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

　Kyousuke kicked the floor. He raised the Scorching Flame Sword (Heat Weaver) and closed the distance at once.

''Oh?''

　Shakko's expression twisted with joy. With a drawn fist, Luke released it again. Kyousuke's body lurched and flailed, and his head and torso area contorted greatly. The fists cut through the sky again, but the aftermath of the fists, covered in black fighting spirit, blew away Kyousuke's body.

　At the same time.

　With great force, the walls to the left and right shattered from Kyousuke's point of view. Pebbles were scattered in the air, and dust flew in the air.

　Shakko jumped at the blown away Kyousuke. The raised fist is an iron mallet, aiming at him as he rolls on the floor. But before the mallet could be swung down, a golden shell that slipped in from the side, caught Shakko's body.

''Mu-uhn!
Ah!

　Shakko's movement pauses as he looks depressed at the muffled blow.
　The full-length flying kick from the Gourin Yuanshu, however, is not enough to blow Luke's body away. Shakkou reaches out to grab his leg. This time, however, that arm movement stopped with a snap. The unseen force restrains him, and in the meantime, Goubayashi jumps back and reestablishes his regime.

''Gah!　God d*mn it!

　Shakko forcibly shook off the invisible power that bound him to himself.

''Will you break my divine power by force alone...''

　Harao Maki, standing to Kyousuke's right, murmured in a mysterious voice.

''But it looks like we're just in time.

　Goubayashi nodded and stood to Kyousuke's left.

''Yeah, that's helpful.''

　Kyousuke also slowly stands up and glares at Shakko, who is standing in front of him.

　Goubayashi and Harao are the only ones who have entered the room. The rest of the team is either in position or stalling the other forces. Either way, they are ready to go.
　Shakkou was clearly frustrated by the presence of the intruder who was disrupting their hunting schedule.

　Kyousuke thrusts his right arm forward and takes a Jeet Kune Do stance. Goubayashi's kempo and Harao's unique stance of raising the Egyptian Cross (Ankh) and putting one arm behind his back, faced Luke's Shakko.

　Let the counterattack begin. Kyousuke stiffened as he saw Shakkou kicking the earth and closing in on him.